About Time
by RhysMerilot
Summary: It was only supposed to be a vacation to get away from their lives for a little while, but sometimes a vacation can be a life changing experience, and Emma and Regina are about to find that out for themselves...
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Mention of Hook/Hood ( only mentioned very briefly, never appears)**

 **This is an AU story that takes place somewhere in the future post-season 5. No spoilers mentioned from the show, etc...**

 **It's only a short story, eight chapters. Meant only for a little fun and exploring a bit of a different side to two of our favorite characters :)**

* * *

Emma Swan sat at her desk, her booted feet up on the edge while she tossed a well-worn tennis ball at the ceiling. She sighed loudly as she glanced over at the clock on the wall outside of her office, and she sighed again when she realized she still had four more hours before her shift was over.

To be blunt, Emma Swan was bored. Aside from the odd minor traffic collision problems that occurred mostly on weekends, and the calls from the crazy old cat lady who lived near the town line who was always convinced there was an intruder prowling around her property, there was nothing else going on that required a steady Sheriff and Savior presence.

Emma knew she should be thankful for the break, but in the years since she'd first arrived in town with Henry, she knew better than to hold her breath because _something_ was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Just jinxed myself, didn't I?" She muttered quietly and she tossed the tennis ball once more before catching it and haphazardly placed it on her cluttered desk.

"Quiet afternoon?"

Emma turned to look at her father as he stood in the doorway to her office. "Yeah," she nodded. "Too quiet, almost. What are you doing here? I thought that you were going to stay home with Mom and the baby today?"

"I needed a break," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Neal is teething and you know how cranky he gets when he's in pain. Poor kid."

"Yeah, poor kid," Emma replied. "Does Mom know that you left?"

"She insisted."

Emma raised a skeptical eyebrow at her father. "Really?"

"No," David chuckled lightly. "I kind of just slipped out. If she calls, don't tell her I'm here. I'm going to get caught up on some paperwork and enjoy the peace and quiet in here for a little while before she notices I'm gone."

"If you're going to stay here, I'm going to go out on patrol," Emma said as she dropped her feet to the floor. "I need to stretch my legs a bit anyway."

"All right. Radio me if you need me."

"Unlikely," Emma chuckled as she grabbed her red leather jacket and slipped it on. "Oh and if Hook comes around, don't tell him where I am, okay?"

"Is everything all right?"

Emma winced, but nodded anyway. "It's nothing. He's just been really moody lately and I'm kind of trying to avoid him. I know it's probably not the best idea, but—"

"You need space and he needs his," David finished for her with a soft smile. "I'm sure this mood he's been in will pass in no time, Em, and then everything will go back to the way they were before in no time."

"No, it won't." Emma frowned. "We broke up."

"You what?"

"We broke up."

"You did?" David looked confused. "I don't understand. I thought you two were happy and in love? When were you going to tell us that you two aren't together anymore?"

"I haven't found the right moment to bring it up," she said with a shrug and she grabbed the keys to the cruiser. "I'm just going to go out on patrol, okay?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not right now, Dad. Maybe not ever."

David reached out for her and pulled her into a tight hug. She knew she should've seen it coming, but it still caught her a little bit off-guard. She returned the hug and then stepped out of the embrace with an awkward smile and a shrug.

Thankful that David decided to leave the topic alone, for now, Emma turned on her heels and quickly exited the station. She pulled on her leather gloves as she made her way around to the station's parking lot. Despite the many signs that spring was near, the air was still cool and the sky was overcast with dark, menacing clouds. She shivered as she opened up the cruiser's door and hopped inside, muttering under her breath as she fumbled with the keys and turned over the engine.

If Emma was being honest with herself, and it wasn't often that she allowed that to happen, breaking up with Killian had left her with a resounding amount of guilt on top of the unsettling unhappiness she'd had since his return from the Underworld. She felt guilty because he had been given another chance to live and that he had come back to her alive, willing to pick right back up where they had left off months before. She felt guilty because as happy as she was supposed to be with him, it didn't feel right to her anymore and she wasn't entirely sure that she truly loved him as much as she'd thought that she did.

Yet, most of all, she felt guilty because her so-called true love had come back to life while Regina Mills' soul mate lay dead six feet under in a coffin in Storybrooke's only cemetery. That guilt left a heavy burden on her, especially on her conscious. She had a second chance with Killian Jones when she never should've had it, and a part of her believed that Regina deserved that too—even if she never really did like Robin Hood all that much to begin with.

Emma hadn't told anyone about her breakup with Killian, mostly because she wasn't sure how to break the news, and most of all it was because she feared how Regina would react.

She tightly gripped onto the steering wheel as the cruiser slowly began to heat up and she frowned as she caught sighed of her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her sleepless nights were starting to catch up to her and makeup only did so much to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

With a shake of her head, she readjusted the rearview mirror before backing the cruiser out of the spot. She drove up and down Main Street, and every time she passed Granny's Diner, her stomach growled, a reminder that the turkey sandwich she'd made herself for lunch that day had gone uneaten and was still sitting in the fridge at the station.

On her third pass by the diner, she nearly stopped, but she didn't when she reminded herself she was on patrol and that her lunch break had come and gone a few hours ago. She made a hard turn off Main Street, opting to drive through some of the quieter and narrower streets of the town to take her mind off of the grilled cheese sandwich and onion rings she was so desperately craving.

Her thoughts strayed once more as she took another turn, a left, and found herself passing by Mifflin Street a few minutes later. More and more she'd been thinking of getting out of town, not for good, but for a little vacation from her life even if it was just for a weekend or even a week. She hadn't had a proper vacation since long before she came to Storybrooke. Those road trips to Boston and New York City definitely hadn't counted, nor did her trip to the Enchanted Forest, Camelot, and definitely not the Underworld either.

It wasn't long before she ended up driving down Mifflin Street that she had the craziest notion to ask Regina and Henry to go away somewhere with her for a week. By the time she parked in front of the Mills' house, she was growing excited at the idea of getting out of town with Regina and Henry, and already thinking of all the places she could take them.

But, Regina wasn't home as her car wasn't parked in its usual spot in the driveway and Henry wouldn't be home from school until just after four, if he even came home at all since as far as Emma knew, he was spending a lot of his time with his girlfriend—at least as much time as Regina and Violet's father allowed them.

Emma kept the cruiser running and she chuckled as she pulled off her gloves and slipped her phone out of her jacket pocket. She quickly pulled up the browser and began searching for different places she could take Regina and Henry all around the country. Regina had only been as far as New York City and had never seen the rest of their vast and beautiful country, and neither had Henry. The possibilities of where to go were almost endless, but choosing the right place was a challenge within itself.

A sharp tap on the passenger window pulled her from her endless search and she groaned when she saw it was only her son. She unlocked the door and hit the lock button on her phone as Henry got into the car and dropped his backpack onto the floor between his feet.

"What are you doing out here, Ma?"

"I was on patrol."

Henry smirked and shook his head. "Right. What are you doing?"

"Nothing! Can't I take a break and come see my son?"

The look that Henry gave her was one that reminded her all too well of the way Regina looked at her when she didn't believe a word she was saying. Sometimes Henry was too much like his other mother it made her wonder just how he would've turned out if she had never given him up and raised him as her own.

With a short laugh she reached out to ruffle his hair and he pulled back with a wince and quickly tried to tame his hair with a scoff of annoyance.

"What?" Emma asked. "Are you going to meet up with Violet or something?"

"No, Ma!" Henry groaned. "She's still at school. She joined this dance team or something, I don't know, she said it would be good for her to help her make friends or whatever."

"A dance team?"

"I don't know, it's a new thing," Henry shrugged and he started to blush as he turned to look out the window, clearly uncomfortable with having that conversation with his mother.

"Okay, moving on," Emma said and she poked him in the shoulder a few times until he looked at her. "Been up to anything new lately, kid?"

"Not really," he replied. "Just school. Hanging out with Violet. Boring stuff, really."

"Boring? You call having a normal teenaged life boring?"

"Whatever," he shrugged again. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I haven't seen you in like a week, Ma, and I know that you're not busy with work so you don't have to feed me that line of bull shit."

"Henry!"

"What?"

"Don't let your Mom catch you using language like that," she said with a laugh. "She'll probably blame me."

"No she won't," Henry snorted. "You have no idea how much she actually swears when she thinks I'm not listening."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"So," Emma exhaled sharply and she reached out to ruffle his hair again just to annoy him. "What do you think about getting out of here for a little while?"

"And go to Granny's?"

"No, like out of Storybrooke," Emma asked, tentatively.

"And go where, Ma? New York City?"

"No," Emma said quickly. "Somewhere else. Somewhere you've never been before."

"Like where?"

"I don't know," Emma replied. "Pick a place, anywhere. The first place that comes to mind, just name it."

"I don't know, Hawaii?"

Emma grimaced. "Maybe someplace less expensive, kid."

"I don't know, Ma. Where would you want to go?"

"Anywhere but here."

Henry shrugged and rubbed his palms over his jean-clad knees. "I don't know. Like I said, where do you want to go?"

"I've been to a lot of places, kid."

"That's not what I asked."

"What about your mom?" Emma asked him. "Where do you think she'd want to go?"

"You know how she is about leaving Storybrooke, Ma. I doubt she's thought much at all about traveling."

"That's not what I asked," Emma said, repeating his words right back at him. "You know her better than I do. Where do you think she'd like to go?"

"Well," Henry said slowly. "She never said anything, but I think she'd like to go someplace that reminds her of home, her old home, you know? I looked it up one time when I was like eight, before the whole, well you know."

"And?"

"The closest place I found was this ranch in Vermont. They have these little cabins and everything."

"Tell me more," Emma said and she handed her phone to Henry. "In fact, find this place for me and I'll handle the rest."

[X]

It was Saturday morning, two days after discussing it with Henry, that Emma found herself pacing on the front porch of 108 Mifflin Street and working up the nerve to ring the bell.

Emma had found the ranch that Henry had mentioned and she had booked them a week there, their reservation open for the next two weeks and starting on whatever day they arrived to check in. As incredibly convenient as it was, it only made Emma all that much more nervous about asking Regina to come away with her and Henry, to leave Storybrooke for a week, a little over when she put in the time it'd take to drive down to the ranch in Vermont, and that left her in the agitated and nervous state that she was in currently.

After she shook her nervousness out with a few full body shakes and a couple of small jumps, she turned to the front door and pressed the little black doorbell button and took a step back.

Regina was home and Henry had told her what time to come around in order to catch Regina before she went about her day and shut out the rest of the world as she cleaned her already immaculately spotless house from top to bottom.

"Emma," Regina said as she opened the door a moment later. "What are you doing here? Did Henry forget something?"

"No, nothing like that," Emma said in a rush. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Regina replied, albeit a little skeptically as she stepped aside to allow Emma in. "The coffee just finished brewing if you'd like to help yourself to a cup? I'll just head upstairs and get dressed."

Emma noticed as she walked into the foyer that Regina was still very much in her pajama's under the dark gray robe she had on. Emma also appeared to be very agitated, which Emma couldn't blame her since she did show up at her door unexpectedly after all.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked again as they walked up the front steps into the foyer and Regina paused by the staircase. "Emma? You didn't come over here for coffee."

"No, but it's a nice bonus," she chuckled lightly. "Can you wait to get dressed? I just came over to ask you something and then I'll be out of your hair."

"And it is something that you couldn't have called or texted me about?"

"Henry said it'd be better to ask you in person."

"Oh he did, did he?" Regina asked with a roll of her eyes. She walked past Emma and led the way into the kitchen.

"Yep."

"Light cream and two sugars, dear?"

Emma watched Regina pour coffee into two glass mugs and she nodded quickly before Regina asked her yet again how she liked her coffee.

"Thanks," Emma said with a grateful smile when Regina handed her the mug. "So."

"So?" Regina echoed. "This something that you've come to ask me, does it happen to be about Henry?"

"Kind of yeah," Emma nodded. "What do you think about going away for a week?"

"Going away for a week?"

"Like on vacation."

Regina chuckled lowly. "And where would I be going on this so-called vacation, Emma?"

"A ranch in Vermont."

"That's oddly specific," Regina said with an amused smirk. "Who would I be going with? You and Henry?"

"Yep."

"I see."

"So?" Emma pressed when Regina didn't say anything more. "What do you think?"

"About going on vacation to a ranch in Vermont with you and Henry?" Regina asked. "For a week, you said?"

"A little more than a week since it'll take half a day or so just to drive there."

"When are you planning to take this vacation?"

"Soon?"

"Henry is still in school for another month."

"I know, but—"

"He's already missed too much, dear. I don't want him to fall behind any more than he already has."

"So, it's a no?"

"It is a no for Henry," Regina said. "I certainly wouldn't mind going away for a week."

"With me?"

"Who else would I go with?" Regina asked. "Besides, this was your idea, Emma. Unless you feel that spending a week alone with me is entirely unbearable?"

"No, no it's not unbearable. Actually, I think it'd be great for us to spend some time together, just the two of us."

"I agree," Regina nodded and she smiled before she took a sip of her hot coffee. "When would you like to go?"

"Up to you," Emma replied with a slight shrug. "I can take time off whenever, I just have to let my dad know so he can cover my shifts at the station. I know you're going to need some time to get everything in order before you leave for a week and everything and the reservations I made are pretty open ended."

"And Henry?"

"If he's not coming, he'll just stay with my parents."

"In the loft?"

"Maybe they can just stay at my house?"

"With the pirate?"

Emma groaned. "Hook and I aren't together anymore, Regina, so no, he won't be there."

Regina laughed and it was definitely not the reaction that Emma had expected from her at all. Emma just stood there and watched Regina as she shook her head and the laughter died on her lips.

"So, you finally figured out that you are too good for him, didn't you?" Regina asked and Emma frowned.

"I wasn't happy."

"I see."

"That's all you're going to say?"

"Do you want me to yell at you, Emma?" Regina asked, her voice tense and tight. "Do you want me to call you an idiot after everything that you went through to save him only to discover that you are truly unhappy with him?"

"No, but—"

"Honestly, it was only a matter of time before you figured out for yourself that you can never be truly happy with a man like him. He is a selfish and arrogant bastard who has only ever done anything that benefits himself in the end."

Emma frowned and stared into her coffee before taking a small sip. Regina was right and Emma found herself wishing she'd realized that for herself a long time ago. She'd held on to hope that what she had with Hook was real, that it was good, that she could be happy, but now she realized she had been grasping at something that wasn't there and holding on to empty hope because all she ever wanted was for someone to love her and want her no matter what.

"Are you all right, Emma?" Regina asked softly. "I'm sorry if I was a little too honest with you about Hook."

"It's fine," Emma replied. "I kind of wish you said something a long time ago about him."

"Believe me, I tried. You were in love and nothing else mattered to you, not even the truth of what kind of a man he truly was."

"When did you try?"

"It doesn't matter now, Emma," Regina sighed. "When did you two end things?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How many of the others know?"

"Just you and David," Emma replied. "Look, I had my reasons why I haven't told anyone yet. I wasn't sure how anyone would react, especially after everything that has happened."

Emma found it hard to get a read on Regina since her expression had turned rather neutral over the course of the last handful of minutes. Emma sipped her coffee and leaned against the island countertop with a frown.

"You've been doing too much of that."

"What?"

"Not smiling," Regina said quietly. "You need to stop that. I can now see why you want a vacation and quite frankly, I cannot blame you. Is this vacation going to help you get back to normal, dear?"

"I—I hope so," Emma stammered. "Besides, what is normal, Regina? I've never been normal a day in my life."

Regina chuckled lightly, her expression softening. "Nor have I, at least not by this society's standards."

Emma couldn't help but laugh. As different as they were, they were very similar at the same time. It was one of the reasons why they'd become friends over the years, especially in the last year when they'd become closer than ever before.

"So, when are we going to go on this vacation, Emma?"

"How about we leave on Monday?" Emma asked. "Unless you need more time?"

"No, Monday should suffice," Regina said with a small nod. "It'll give me today and tomorrow to prepare for departure and to ensure that all will be well in my absence at the town hall."

"Great," Emma grinned and she downed the last of her coffee, exhaling sharply since it was still a little too hot to drink too fast. "I'll get out of your hair. Do you want to tell Henry that he's not coming or should I?"

"I'll leave that up to you seeing as he's staying with you this weekend, dear. If he gives you any strife, he can speak with me about it."

"Alright, cool," Emma said and she walked over to the sink and rinsed out the mug. "Are you busy tonight?"

"No, dear."

"Can we—"

"Yes, of course," Regina said before Emma could finish. "Bring over a bottle of pinot noir and nothing that tastes like poison this time, hmm?"

"Right. So, I'll see you tonight," Emma said and she backed up towards the kitchen door. "Seven all right?"

"That's fine. Just make sure Henry—"

"He knows that his curfew is eleven on Saturday night. He's supposed to go to the movies with Violet and a few others tonight. I can get David to pick him up."

"Perfect. I'll see you tonight, Emma."

Emma left the house with a smile and she sat in her cruiser for a few minutes just thinking about the conversation she and Regina just had. It hadn't gone nearly as badly as she thought it would and Regina had been more than okay with the idea of going away on vacation, even after she declared that Henry wasn't coming with them because he couldn't afford a week off of school.

She drove off a few minutes later once the cruiser had heated up enough to stave off the chill, and instead of continuing on her patrol, she stopped by the store to find a bottle of pinot noir, choosing one of the more expensive bottles as she kept in mind what happened the last time she brought a cheap bottle over to Regina's and how horrible it had been to drink that night.

She picked up a six-pack of Budweiser too, just in case the wine turned out to be just as horrible as the last time. Regina's cider packed too much of a punch for her on a good day and it'd been quite some time since she last had some that she couldn't remember the last time she actually had a glass of Regina's potent cider.

After making a quick stop at home, she headed back to the station, not surprised to find her father passed out on the couch beside the cells. She headed into her office and shut the door before pulling out a stack of paperwork she knew she'd need to get done before she left on Monday. She'd barely even sat down at her desk before a text came through on her phone.

 ** _Any idea on what I will need to pack for this vacation?_**

Emma chuckled and quickly typed out a reply to Regina, informing her that she needed to only pack casual. Emma knew that Regina barely owned anything casual, yet she had seen her in a pair of jeans just once, and purely by accident, as Regina had used magic to change into her usual attire.

[X]

Regina Mills paced the floor in her bedroom, waiting patiently for Emma to text her back. She already had her suitcase laid out on her bed, but she was completely at a loss as to what to actually pack for their vacation.

When she read Emma's text a few minutes later, she rolled her eyes. Casual. Of course. She should've expected that, especially since they were going to a ranch. In the time since Emma had left, she had to look up what a ranch actually was on the computer and when it had been confirmed just what kind of a place it was, she could already feel a bubble of excitement beginning to build from deep inside.

Emma's visit that morning had been a surprise, not just because it had been unexpected, but because of the proposition of taking a vacation as well as learning that she was no longer in a relationship with the pirate. Regina hadn't been surprised to learn that Emma hadn't been happy with the pirate that led to their separation since she knew that Emma hadn't been happy for a very long time. She had just assumed that Emma would stay with him because she believed what they had was real and true, that they were meant to be, despite the way she had begun to feel over time about him.

In fact, it had taken a lot of willpower for Regina not to show her true elation that the pirate was no longer in the picture, and a whole lot more not to let her true feelings for the blonde-haired Savior come out.

The revelation that she not only cared for and loved Emma Swan, but was in love with her, had happened shortly after Robin Hood's funeral. She'd been sitting at home alone, sipping on a cup of tea in the study and scrolling through the many pictures she had on her phone, most of which were of Emma and Henry together. The fact that the realization of her true feelings hadn't rattled her at all had her wondering if she'd been feeling this way for far longer than she even knew.

She'd spent many hours after that revelation just thinking about how far they'd come since the first night Emma Swan showed up on her doorstep with their son. She even tried to pinpoint an exact moment where she had fallen in love with her, but there wasn't just one, there were many, and they had happened over the years in random intervals.

The latest revelation of being in love with Emma Swan had happened in New York City when they'd been at Robin Hood's apartment looking for clues as to where to find Henry. In her moment of vulnerability, she had come to the realization again that she was in love with Emma Swan when she let all her walls down and openly cried in front of her.

And she nearly let it slip that she not only cared for her, but that she was in love with her, and thankfully she had stopped herself in the moment because she was more than certain that it wouldn't have been received well at all.

Not once had Emma ever showed any interest that the feeling was reciprocated in any way, though Regina had convinced herself the reason for that was because the annoying pirate had been in the picture for far too long.

With an annoyed sigh, Regina went through the dresser drawers and then her closet in search of somewhat casual clothes to pack for their trip, but aside from the one pair of jeans she owned and the two yoga pants she used when she worked out to the videos in the privacy of her study, she had nothing even remotely casual. Casual was not something she did nor had she ever thought of appearing in public dressed in anything that wasn't meant to impress.

She packed the jeans and frowned at the empty state of her suitcase. She'd need to figure something out because there was no way she'd be able to spend a week on a ranch wearing slacks and blouses and her leather jacket that was far too expensive to be riding around on a horse in or even just hiking the trails that were likely around the ranch itself.

Regina scoffed as she grabbed her phone and instead of sending a text to Emma, she called her and paced the floor in front of her bed as the line began to ring.

"Sheriff Swan," Emma said when she answered and Regina rolled her eyes knowing Emma hadn't even bothered to look at the caller ID.

"Hello Emma," Regina said and she shook her head, embarrassed at the way her voice had cracked nervously.

"Regina? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," she replied. "Actually, everything is not fine."

"Do you need me to come around?"

"What? No," Regina said and then it clicked. Emma was still on duty and she was assuming the call was not a casual one. "I'm packing for our trip and I have absolutely nothing."

"Nothing?" Emma chuckled. "What about those jeans I saw you wearing that one time?"

"Aside from those."

"Well, it's just a ranch right?" Emma said and she laughed again to the point where Regina let out an annoyed groan and continued to pace. "Jeans and boots, sweaters and any old jacket should be all right, you know?"

"I don't own more than one pair of jeans, Swan, and sweaters I have but nothing considered casual."

"We're about the same size, right?" Emma asked and Regina scoffed. "What? We are, give or take a bit right?"

"I suppose so yes. What is your point?"

"Well, unless you want to go on a shopping spree for clothes you'll never wear again, why don't you borrow whatever you need from me for the trip?" Emma suggested and she laughed. "I mean, you'd have to make sure that everything fits first of course."

"You want me to borrow your clothes?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, right?"

"From what I recall, you have borrowed several shirts of mine that have never been returned."

"Hey! I brought that black turtleneck back and as for that blue silk one, well, if I could find it I'd bring it back," Emma said defensively. "So?"

"So?"

"Do you want to borrow some of my clothes for the trip or what, Gina?"

It never failed that every time Emma called her "Gina" that she felt those butterflies taking flight and found it impossible to not smile. She thought of what the worst could happen in taking Emma up on her offer and though she had several fantasies about getting into Emma's pants, literally wearing them had not been one of them.

"I suppose so, and if nothing fits, I still have tomorrow to do some last minute shopping," Regina said after a moment.

"Great. So, I know I was coming over to your place tonight, but maybe you can come over to mine?" Emma asked and before Regina could give an answer, Emma continued at a rapid pace. "If you do have too much to drink to drive home tonight, you can crash here, you know? There is the couch or if it's not too weird for you, you can share my bed with me or even sleep in Henry's room or something."

"Okay," Regina said quietly. "Only if I've had too much to drink of whatever atrocious wine you bought for tonight. In fact, I may just bring some cider over with me just in case."

Emma laughed. "All right, Gina. I'm off at four today, so whenever you want to come around is fine by me."

"I'll see you later, Emma."

"Later."

Regina ended the call and tossed her phone onto the bed as her heart thundered in her chest and her mind began to race.

She wasn't sure if taking a vacation with Emma alone was such a good idea, but it was far too late to back out of it now.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma pulled up in front of her house and cranked the gear until the car came to a complete stop just behind Regina's car. She was supposed to have been off work an hour earlier, but a call had come in just as she was leaving and David hadn't yet shown up at the station and she was obligated to take the call herself. What was supposed to have been a quick call turned into a mess and then a chase involving three of the former Lost Boys for an hour before she found them holed up at the cannery thinking they'd deceived her.

With a heavy sigh, she got out of the Bug and jogged up the walkway to the porch and after taking a few deep breaths, she walked into the house, surprised that the door was unlocked but not surprised at the same time since she hadn't seen Regina waiting in her car or on the bench on the porch.

The moment she walked through the front door, she could hear the sound of Henry and Regina's laughter coming from the kitchen. She hung her keys on the hook and shrugged out of her jacket, slinging it on the banister before she made her way into the kitchen.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Regina and their son standing in the kitchen and preparing tacos together with the radio on and the continuous laughter. She had to do a double take though as she looked at Regina standing by the stove and tending to the meat wearing a pair of yoga pants, a plain white t-shirt, and an apron Emma knew that Regina had definitely brought from home.

"Ma!" Henry said as he turned around with a huge smile on his face. "Just in time! Dinner is almost ready."

"I see that."

"Why don't you go and wash up?" Regina said, her back to Emma as she started to scoop up the meat into a bowl. "We won't start without you."

"All right," Emma smiled. "I'll be right back."

Emma hurried upstairs to the bathroom to wash up and she was back downstairs within minutes to find Regina and Henry already setting the food down on the dining room table. Emma took her usual place and the three of them got their tacos ready. Emma loaded up with three tacos on her plate despite the look of disbelief Regina shot her way from across the table. Before Emma took the first bite, she turned to Henry and frowned.

"Aren't you supposed to be going out tonight, kid?"

"Yeah, but not until like eight," Henry replied. "I'm meeting Violet at the theater. The movie doesn't start until like nine or so."

"Your curfew is for eleven," Regina reminded him gently.

"I know and here's where I ask you if it is okay if I stay out a little later if the movie runs longer than that?" Henry asked hopefully and Regina just looked over at Emma. "Please, Moms?"

"Could we push his curfew until midnight?" Emma asked and Regina just stared down at her plate and cut the single taco she had with a knife and fork. "Gina? It's Saturday night and the kid has a date."

"I suppose that will be all right," Regina said after a moment. "But not a second after midnight. Someone will be there to pick you up right outside the theater, all right?"

"Awesome!" Henry laughed. "Thank you."

They barely talked after that, the three of them just focusing on their dinner and once they were done and most of the food was gone, Emma helped Henry clear the table away while Regina started doing the dishes in the sink. After Emma told Henry to go work on his homework for a while before he headed out on his date, it left her and Regina alone in the kitchen, Emma drying the dishes and putting them away and Regina washing them in a meticulous way.

"Have you talked to him about our trip?" Emma asked after a few minutes of heavy silence.

"Not yet," Regina replied. "I was hoping we could sit down after we finish up the dishes and talk to him about it. Have you spoken with your parents about staying here with Henry for the week?"

"Yeah, yeah, I talked to David earlier and he said it wouldn't be a problem."

"Wonderful, one less thing to worry about."

"What else is there to worry about?"

"Minor things," Regina replied and when Emma looked at her pointedly, she just rolled her eyes. "I need to appoint someone to stand in while I am gone at the town hall. We cannot have the town falling to shambles while we're both gone, can we?"

"God no, then nobody would ever let either of us take a vacation ever again."

"Exactly and I don't know about you, dear, but I could use a small vacation at least once a year from here on out. I've never allowed myself any time off, especially not after Henry came into my life."

"Then this is a well-deserved vacation for you, huh?" Emma smiled and Regina nodded as she rinsed the last plate and handed it to her a second later. "Are you okay about going to this ranch for the week?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, I wasn't sure where else to go. I asked Henry and he suggested the place."

"It's fine, Emma, and it is in a state I've never been to before, so I am very much looking forward to it."

"Vermont is beautiful."

"Have you been there before?"

"Drove through when I came to Boston from Tallahassee years ago, didn't stay long since I went there by making a wrong turn on the interstate, but the parts I did see made me want to go back there one day."

Regina nodded and wiped her hands on the apron before she took it off and slowly folded it. "Shall we open that bottle of wine you bought now or wait until Henry has left?"

"I could use a drink," Emma shrugged and she grabbed the corkscrew and headed for the fridge. "I know you like yours chilled, so I stuck it in the fridge this morning."

"Open it and let it sit a while then we'll have a glass," Regina replied. "Let's go speak with Henry about the trip."

Emma nodded and opened the bottle, leaving the cork out and still stuck in the corkscrew before she followed Regina out of the kitchen and into the dining room where Henry was sitting at the table working on an English essay that was due at the end of next week.

"I'm almost halfway done," Henry said.

"That's wonderful," Regina smiled as she sat down beside him and ran her hand over his head. "What is the topic?"

"Our choice," he replied and he closed his notebook quickly. "I'll let you read it when it's done, Mom."

"All right, dear," Regina smiled again and motioned at Emma to take a seat. "We need to talk to you about something and I need for you to listen and understand, all right?"

"I'm not five anymore, Mom. What's up?"

"Now I know you're looking forward to going away for a week with your mother and I—"

"Oh yeah, it's going to be so much fun! Did Ma tell you that I helped pick out the place?"

"Henry," Regina said firmly. "Can you please listen without any interruption?"

"Sorry."

"We're worried you are going to fall behind especially so late in the school year, so seeing as that is an issue, you will not be coming along with us this time."

"But Mom!"

"Henry!"

"Kid, it's important you stay caught up in school. You've missed way too much already with everything that's been going on the last while. Your education is more important than spending a week on vacation with your family."

"But you two deserve to go away!" Henry exclaimed. "With or without me."

"We're still going," Emma said with a cheeky smile. "Just the two of us. Are you okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Henry laughed, his tone changing completely in an instant. "You two are really going away together?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "Just your Mom and I are going to that ranch you picked out the other day. I've already made the reservations and everything. We're going to leave Monday morning and we'll be back next Tuesday sometime in the afternoon, depends on how busy the drive home is and all."

"And?"

"You'll be staying with your grandparents."

"At the loft?" Henry asked as he pulled a face.

"No, kid. Here. They're going to come here and hang out for a week. Are you cool with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure," Emma said and she breathed a sigh of relief as she looked over at Regina. "That wasn't so bad."

"Why would it be bad?" Henry asked curiously. "I think it's a good idea for you two to go away together."

"Why is that?" Regina asked him.

"Because it's important to spend time with family, right? Isn't that what you've always told me, Mom?"

"Yes, dear."

"And Emma is a part of our family."

"She is," Regina nodded in agreement and Emma noticed a smile curl over Regina's lips she very rarely saw. "I agree with you though, Henry. It _will_ be good for us. Don't you think so, Emma?"

"Sure," Emma said quickly. "And when you're on your summer break, kid, I promise we'll go away together okay?"

"Sure," Henry smiled and he picked up his pen. "Do you guys mind if I get back to work on this essay? I want to get another page done before I head out to pick Violet up."

"Of course, kid," Emma smiled as she stood up. "How about that glass of wine, Gina?"

Regina nodded and followed her back into the kitchen. Emma poured them each a healthy glass of wine. Emma took the first sip and she laughed in surprise at how good it actually tasted, but the ultimate test was whether or not Regina liked it.

Emma leaned against the counter and watched Regina take her time lifting the glass off the counter and inhaling deeply a few times before taking a minuscule sip. Emma saw the look of surprise in Regina's eyes before Regina took another sip and lowered the glass.

"Not half bad, Emma. A step up from the last bottle if I may say so myself."

"Good," Emma chuckled. "So, before we get into the wine a little too much, how about we find you some clothes to wear on our trip, yeah?"

The huff of annoyance that followed was only just a façade since Emma had a feeling that Regina didn't hate it as much as she let on. Emma took one more sip of her wine before she headed out of the kitchen, glancing back only once she got to the foot of the stairs to make sure that Regina was right behind her. She climbed the stairs quickly and was thankful she'd spent a half hour that morning tidying up her room a little bit so it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

It only occurred to her once she walked into her bedroom that it was the first time Regina had actually been in there in the time since she'd lived in the house. Emma took a sip of her wine and turned to face Regina as she came to a stop at the foot of her bed.

It was hard for her to garner Regina's reaction since her face was completely void and expressionless. Regina just took a long look around the small room and sighed as she took a small sip of her wine and placed the glass on the top of the dresser.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like," Emma said and she walked over to the closet and opened the door. "So, take your pick?"

"Are you just going to stand there while I try on your clothes?"

Emma stammered as she rushed away from the open closet and shook her head no. "Not if it makes you uncomfortable. I can just, you know, go downstairs or whatever."

Regina just walked over to the closet and began to flick through the shirts on the hangers, pulling out a few flannel button downs and tossed them onto the bed behind her.

Emma nearly downed the last of her wine and turned around when Regina casually lifted her t-shirt up and over her head and tossed it to the bed before grabbing one of the shirts she'd picked out. Suddenly the room felt a little too warm and Emma grasped at the collar of her gray sweater and took another sip of her wine as she caught sight of Regina in the reflection of the mirror on the dresser.

It was no use denying that Regina Mills was a very attractive woman, and Emma had always thought she was right from the very moment she first met her. There were a few instances where Emma couldn't hide the way her body reacted to the sight of Regina, especially not when she wore clothes that showed off her body in all the right ways.

Emma wiped her right palm against her jean-clad thigh. When it came to Regina Mills, Emma had always had many mixed feelings for the woman, feelings she had convinced herself over the years that were definitely not and never would be reciprocated. It was something she'd just accepted without even trying anything. How could she try anything with the woman who had adopted her son and gave him the life that she never could've given him if she had chosen to keep him?

"Perhaps this was a bad idea," Regina said and Emma turned around to face her. "You are a size smaller than me. I'm sure I can figure something out, even buy a few things tomorrow that'll tie me over for the week."

"Things you'll never wear again? Come on," Emma chuckled nervously. "You don't need to do that."

Regina glanced down at the shirt just as Emma did and she placed a hand over the gap between the buttons over her breasts. "Do you have anything a little larger?"

"You could always wear something underneath," Emma replied and she tried not to be so obvious as she stared at Regina's hand over her breasts. "Let me take a look in the other room. I have some old clothes in there from years ago that might fit. Take another look and I'll be right back."

Emma left her wine on the dresser next to Regina's and rushed across the hall to the spare room. She had a few boxes of clothes she'd grown out of after she started losing a bit of weight since she got to Storybrooke and after she pulled out a few t-shirts and long sleeved shirts, she headed back to her room and stopped short just in the doorway.

"Could these be any tighter?" Regina grunted in annoyance as she struggled to pull on a pair of Emma's black skinny jeans. "How on earth do you wear these?"

"Like those leather pants you used to wear weren't any tighter," Emma muttered and she tossed the shirts down on the bed. "Try these."

"This is useless, Emma. I should just buy some clothes for the week that actually fit me or even magically conjure up some at least," Regina said with a frown. "Ridiculous."

Emma winced as Regina gave up on trying to pull the black jeans up over her hips and all but tore them off without a bat of an eye. She stood at the foot of Emma's bed clad in only a pair of high cut black panties and the plaid shirt. Emma's heart rate skyrocketed and she flushed as she grabbed her glass of wine and downed the last of it in one go.

Regina wasn't just attractive, she was a downright goddess and Emma could not take her eyes off of Regina's legs. When Regina caught her staring, the smoldering look that Regina gave her made her do a double take before Regina just chuckled throatily and grabbed the pants she'd had on earlier and pulled them on.

"Maybe you're right, shopping it is," Emma muttered under her breath. "Sorry, I thought I'd have some things you could borrow for the week."

"I don't mind this shirt," Regina said as she ran her fingers over the straining buttons. "Perhaps I _should_ wear something underneath to preserve some sense of modesty."

Emma distractedly nodded and left Regina to change out of the shirt in privacy. She practically ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to pour another glass of wine into her glass. Suddenly, she was questioning whether or not this trip with Regina was a good idea at all. It was one thing to go away with Henry as a family and a whole other thing to go away with just Regina and spending almost twenty-four hours a day for nearly ten long days.

She eyed the bottle on the counter and knew she'd need a lot more than just what she had if she was to get through the night without flashes of Regina half naked in her bedroom assaulting her every waking—and sleeping—thought.

[X]

Regina sank into the sofa in Emma's living room, nursing her fourth glass of wine hours after she'd tried on a few of Emma's clothes and failed to fit into them as well as either of them thought she would. Henry had left just after seven, declining both their offers for a ride to the theater and opted on walking to Violet's house a few blocks away to pick her up instead.

"Are you going to stay tonight?"

Regina looked over at Emma on the oversized armchair she was sitting on. "I'm sure I could send myself home later without an incident," she said with a lazy shrug.

"Do you really want to use magic when you're drunk?"

"I am not drunk, dear."

Emma chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, okay."

"I can handle my alcohol."

"Are you saying I can't?"

"No," Regina laughed. "Though this bottle leaves me wondering just how much you know about buying a good, decent bottle of wine."

"Hey, this is almost as good as the first bottle!"

"Almost is not good enough, Emma."

"You know, I'm not forcing you to drink it," Emma drawled and Regina couldn't help but laugh at the obnoxious look on the blonde's face. "At least it doesn't taste like battery acid."

Regina lifted her glass and nodded in agreement. "You definitely surprised me with the first bottle. Yet," Regina said with a teasing tone, "there is so much you need to learn when it comes to knowing what is a good wine and what is just cheap and undrinkable."

"You'll have to teach me," Emma replied and if Regina wasn't mistaken, the tone of Emma's voice was that of a teasing nature, flirty even. "When do you want to leave on Monday? After Henry goes to school?"

"Yes, that would work," Regina nodded. "How long will we have to travel?"

"It's a long drive."

"How long?"

"Not as long as it takes to get to Boston, not really."

"How long, Emma?"

"Like three hours?" Emma shrugged. "I checked it out on Google Maps, that's how long it said it'd take. It's like a thirty-minute drive from the border too, but you kind of need a passport if you want to drive over and check out Montreal for the day or something."

"I can procure a passport."

"Not a valid one," Emma pointed out. "You know, they are pretty strict about these things now. We can't just go to Canada and come back like we can drive out of Storybrooke."

Regina rolled her eyes. Of course she knew that, she'd always known that especially once the regulations had changed before she adopted Henry. Yet, in all those years she had never once thought to try and apply for a real passport and the main reason for that was because she did not have the valid paperwork to be approved for one.

"I can procure one," Regina stated. "All I'd need is to see yours in order to properly replicate one of my very own."

"You really want to risk that?"

"Emma, we went to the Underworld, I'm hardly sure that taking a day trip to Canada is any more dangerous than traveling realms."

"I'm sure it's not, but I don't want to go away on vacation only to spend a day in a holding cell at the border because you have a fake passport."

Regina chuckled lightly before she took a healthy sip of her wine. "Of course not. That would be an inconvenience. Another time, perhaps. So, Emma, tell me more about what you know about this ranch, hmm?"

Emma moved from the chair to sit at Regina's side and she pulled out her phone, swiping at the screen a few times and she pulled up a website for Sunnyside Ranch. There was loads of information and plenty of pictures, enough that Regina was already impressed with how calm and peaceful it all looked to be.

The only thing that worried Regina was the small size of the cabins. Even in the pictures, they were extremely basic, consisting just of a room with a bed, some with two, a kitchenette and a small living room with rustic looking furniture and a very large fireplace that took up most of one wall. It was one thing to spend a week away with Emma, and a whole other thing to spend so much time with her in such a small space.

"What about food?" Regina asked once Emma had put her phone face down on the coffee table. "Do we have to bring our own and cook?"

"Yeah, but there is a common meal every night at the house for everyone staying there. It's kind of like a potluck, everyone brings something to contribute to the meal."

"I see."

"I know, it's pretty basic and boring, but Henry—"

"I am going to reserve any and all judgment until I've been there, Emma," Regina said calmly. "It looks like a beautiful place. I hope it lives up to the expectations of how wonderful all the pictures look."

"Okay."

"Is there an itinerary?"

Emma shrugged. "Not really. This is a vacation, Regina, not a business trip or a stay in another realm fighting villains and trying to win the fight."

"I know that, dear."

Emma downed the last of her wine and stood up quickly. "Do you want another glass?"

"That would be wonderful," Regina nodded and she handed her glass to Emma after she had downed the last mouthful. "It's almost midnight."

"I'll call David and make sure he's on his way to pick Henry up."

"Don't bother," Regina responded flippantly. "In fact, text him and tell him not to worry about it anymore."

"But Henry is expecting to be picked up."

"It's a nice night and I've been thinking. He's fifteen now and he's out on a date with his very first girlfriend. Perhaps it is time we give him a little freedom and a chance to prove that he is a responsible young man and that he can be trusted to make it home in time for his curfew."

"That's it, I'm cutting you off," Emma joked. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"When did you become the cool mom?" Emma asked and Regina laughed lightly.

"I'm hardly the cool one, dear."

Regina waited for Emma to return from the kitchen with more wine and her head was swimming with a thousand different thoughts. Whenever she thought back to the incident in the bedroom and Emma's wandering eyes, she felt her body tingle in response to the hungry way that Emma had looked at her when she was trying on Emma's clothes.

At the time, she paid no attention to Emma's wandering eyes and her obvious nervousness she displayed in those moments. Yet, thinking back, she wanted nothing more than for Emma to look at her that way again and it was a look she hadn't realized she'd missed since Emma used to look at her that very same way long before Captain Guyliner came into the picture and swept Emma off of her feet.

It was almost ridiculous that she felt like a naïve teenager around Emma, but those delicious tingles that spread through her body along with the flutter of butterflies in her stomach made her feel things she had never felt before, not even with Daniel. It was a feeling she had longed for, one she had thought for many, many years that she would never get to experience ever again.

"We're almost out," Emma said as she walked back into the living room. "Do you think we should call it a night soon? I mean, Henry will be home in a little while and—"

"If you insist," Regina said drolly as Emma handed her the glass and instead of sitting down in the chair she'd been in for hours, she sat down next to Regina.

"You can always stay over, you know."

"You've said as much more times than I can count," Regina chuckled lightly. "I'll stay, Emma."

Where would she sleep, was the question she wanted to ask, but with the wine making her mind a little fuzzy, she quickly let that thought wander off as her attention drifted to Emma and their close proximity.

"I can't wait for those warmer nights," Emma said and Regina looked at her curiously. "I have a fire pit in the backyard," she explained. "I haven't gotten the chance to use it yet or anything."

"Summer is not far off."

"I know."

"Henry has been asking me to put a pool in the backyard for as long as I can remember," Regina said and Emma raised an eyebrow and laughed. "I know. He's not much of a swimmer, but I can't help but think that could've been different if he'd learned how to swim when he younger."

"It's never too late to learn."

"Of course not."

"Do you know how to swim?"

Regina sipped her wine and subtly shook her head no. She had never learned in the Enchanted Forest nor had her mother thought that to be a skill that would be useful for her as a queen. Swimming was for peasants and that was what she had always been taught. Even after she cast the curse, there was never an opportunity to change that, to learn, as the seasons never changed since time stood still.

"You really don't know how to swim?"

"No, dear."

"Would you ever want to learn?" Emma asked.

"Maybe one day," Regina admitted. "What, are you willing to teach Henry and I how to swim?"

Emma smiled and draped her left arm over the back of the sofa behind Regina and nodded. "Sure. I know how, I'm self-taught and everything. All we need is a pool."

"And bathing suits."

"And bathing suits, yeah," Emma chuckled. "One piece or a bikini?"

"Me?" Regina asked and she shook her head. "I don't know, dear, are you willing to let me borrow one of yours?"

Emma's face flushed and she quickly tried to cover it up by taking a large sip of her wine. "No, mine definitely wouldn't fit you. You're a little more well-endowed than me."

"Another thing to add to the shopping list, it seems."

"Yeah."

Regina cleared her throat. "Would you like to come with me tomorrow?"

"Shopping?"

"Yes, dear."

"Sure," Emma nodded and she lifted the arm she had around the back of the sofa and idly scratched at her neck. "I am a terrible shopping companion, though."

"Why is that?"

"I get bored," Emma shrugged. "I prefer to be in and out of the store and not spend hours trying on a bunch of clothes I don't end up buying anyway."

Regina laughed and shook her head. "Yes, I can see how you would be a terrible shopping companion, Emma. I, however, do like to try everything on. There is nothing worse than buying something only to find out it is ill-fitting long after you've left the store."

"Is that a dig at my choice of clothes?"

"No," Regina smirked. "Though I cannot understand for the life of me why you willingly choose to wear those ridiculously tight jeans all the time."

"They feel good!" Emma said. "Plus, they make my ass look great."

"So, you wear them because they make your ass look great?" Regina chuckled and she shook her head again at the adorable look of disbelief on Emma's face.

"I like the way they feel, okay."

"All right, dear, if you say so."

"So, you're saying my ass doesn't look great when I wear jeans?"

"I didn't say that, did I?"

Emma blushed and before she could say anything, the front door opened and Henry walked in. Regina cleared her throat and Emma jumped up from the sofa, nearly spilling her wine in the process.

"Grandpa never showed up, so I walked home," Henry said as he looked pointedly at both of them. "I didn't want to miss curfew."

"I should've text you," Emma said and Henry shrugged as he pulled off his jacket. "Why don't you head up to bed, kid?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "And my date was great, by the way, thanks for asking."

Emma walked over to him and ruffled his hair and even though he squirmed away, Regina could see the smile on his face that showed he enjoyed the small display of affection from his mother. After he ran off up the stairs to get ready for bed, Emma sat back down beside Regina with a heavy sigh.

"He gets it from you," Emma stated. "The sarcasm."

"Yes, I've noticed."

Emma chuckled and exhaled softly as she cocked her head to the side and draped her arm around the back of the sofa once more.

"I don't know if I've told you lately, but I'm really glad we're friends now, Gina."

"Me too, dear."

"I don't know if I would've stayed if it wasn't for you."

"You stayed for Henry, not me."

"No, I mean—I don't stay in one place this long, not ever. I stayed because of Henry, yeah, but then it was just one thing after another and none of us could just relax, you know? Then the past little while I kept thinking about how easy it'd be just to pack up and leave, but then I realized I couldn't do that."

"Because of Henry."

"Because of you too, Regina," Emma said softly and she turned her head aside as her cheeks reddened again. "You're my best friend and I've never had someone like you in my life before. You're not just my best friend. You're a part of my family. I don't want to leave and lose what we have."

Regina smiled sadly. "Of course not," she said under her breath and she inhaled sharply when Emma placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are a part of my family too. Henry wouldn't allow us to be anything but family now, whether or not you decide to stay here in Storybrooke."

"Henry is the glue in this family, isn't he?"

"Yes," Regina nodded and this time when she smiled it wasn't a sad one. "He most definitely is. How about we finish up and head to bed ourselves?"

"Okay."

Regina had to force herself to look away from Emma because she didn't want Emma to see the many emotions running through her all at once. Being in love with someone had never been so hard, but being in love with Emma Swan and not letting it show was the hardest of all.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who has followed/faved and reviewed so far! I hope you continue to enjoy it! I know that I had a lot of fun writing it. You guys are the best :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Now I normally don't respond to hate and choose to ignore it, but I can't this time.**

 **Mindi, your reviews are not constructive in any way or form. Your personal attacks on me are uncalled for and childish. If you do not like what you are reading either stop reading my stories and write your own, or find another story that appeals to you. It's that easy. Your personal attacks and name calling are unnecessary, and again, childish. As far as I am concerned, I did nothing to you, I don't even know who you are as you hide behind anonymity. Do yourself a favor and stop leaving such hateful comments that are personal attacks against me when there is no need for that. Thank you and good day.**

 **As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Emma had ultimately been right about being a terrible shopping companion. Regina had found a handful of different clothes in the second-hand shop that Emma insisted they check out first since they both knew Regina wouldn't ever wear casual clothes inside of Storybrooke.

The first thing Regina had noticed upon walking into the store, Second Time Around, was the distinct smell that lingered in the air. It was an odd smell, not a bad one, but one that reminded her of the clothes she'd kept for many years in a closet and had forgotten about. The second thing that Regina noticed was the way Emma was already increasingly becoming fidgety as she browsed the racks of clothes that were organized not by style, but by size.

Regina knew she could afford to shop at another store, even one in the next town over, but Emma had seemed a little excited that Regina took her suggestion to check the second-hand store first.

Two hours passed easily and Regina had a small pile of clothes acceptable enough for a trip to a horse ranch in northern Vermont. She went through the pile, noting that she could repurpose a few of the items into different outfits, given they didn't get too dirty for a second wear or even a third.

After she paid for her purchases, Emma seemed to be on autopilot, grabbing the bags off the counter as Regina took the receipt from the woman behind the register. She followed Emma out of the store with an amused smirk dancing over her lips and down the street to where Emma had parked the Bug.

"You wanna go for lunch?" Emma asked once she had the bags in the backseat. "Or do you need to go home and do whatever it is you need to do before tomorrow?"

Regina glanced at the dainty gold watch on her left wrist. It was still fairly early in the day and the light breakfast they'd had at Emma's house with Henry earlier that morning hadn't quite filled her up nor had it done a thing to subdue the slight hangover she had from drinking far too much wine the night before.

"Yes, I suppose we can go for lunch."

"Great," Emma said and she hopped into the driver's seat just as Regina got into the passenger seat. "We can talk more about tomorrow, times and stuff."

"All right."

"I'm taking the Bug to the shop this afternoon to have Michael look over it and make sure we won't run into any problems on the road."

"I thought you said the Bug is reliable?" Regina asked in a teasing tone as Emma turned over the engine. "But in reality, it truly is a metal coffin on wheels, isn't it?"

"No," Emma muttered grumpily. "Just a precaution. It's been a while since I've taken her in for a tune-up."

Regina reached over to place her hand on top of Emma's as Emma reached for the gearshift. "I was just teasing you, Emma."

She watched Emma stiffen as she glanced at their hands and Regina frowned as she withdrew quickly and placed her hands in her lap. Emma pulled away from the curb a second later and drove the half a block to the diner where she parked in her usual spot.

Regina took a moment to compose herself before she followed Emma out of the Bug and into the busy diner. She knew it shouldn't have come as a surprise to find Emma's parents and baby brother there in their usual both and immediately waving them over to join them for lunch.

"You don't mind?" Emma asked quietly over the din in the diner. "We could always just go sit somewhere else."

"It's fine," Regina replied. "I want to talk to them about watching Henry this week anyway. Now is as good a time as any."

Snow waved at them frantically before she handed the baby off to David and again waved at them to come over and join them. Emma led the way to the booth and slid into the bench seat opposite of her parents with ease. Regina sat down beside Emma and smiled politely at the Charming's.

"So, how was the shopping trip?" Snow asked. "Did you find anything for your trip, Regina?"

"A few things, yes," Regina nodded. "Although Emma would not stop complaining the entire time."

"I wasn't complaining!"

"You were fidgeting," Regina said pointedly. "And you do not have to say a word for me to know that you are complaining. You get this look on your face."

"She does, doesn't she?" Snow chuckled lightly. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows what that look looks like. Sorry, sweetie, but we both seem to know you too well."

"Yeah. Thanks," Emma muttered. "Have you guys ordered yet?"

"Just a coffee," David replied. "We hadn't decided what to order yet."

"What is the special today?" Emma asked and she leaned over the table, straining to look at the board where the daily special was written out. "Waffles?"

"Waffle sandwiches," David said and Emma scrunched her face and reached for the menu they all had memorized yet still utilized every time they ate at the diner.

"Where is Henry?" Snow asked. "Is he out with his friends today?"

"With Violet," Regina clarified. "He wanted to take her down to the beach for a picnic."

"A little chilly for a picnic on the beach, isn't it?" Snow mused and Regina nodded in agreement. "But that is still quite romantic," she swooned. "Definitely the Charming genes in him, wouldn't you say?"

"A little," Regina replied. "Perhaps it is a bit more of nurture over nature as well."

"You are a romantic? Who knew?" Snow chuckled lightly and Regina just scowled and turned her attention to the menu. "I didn't mean it like that, Regina."

"It's fine, Snow. Let's just figure out what to order, shall we?"

Regina already had her mind settled on ordering a garden salad with light vinaigrette dressing on the side along with a much needed cup of coffee. What she didn't fail to notice was the way that Snow kept looking at her and Emma with a perplexed look in her eyes that made Regina nervous—and it wasn't often that Regina got nervous around Snow White, of all people. Emma, however, did fail to notice the way her mother was looking at the two of them, her attention focused solely on the menu as she decided what to order.

"Just get your usual, Emma," Regina said with a heavy sigh. "We all know you're going to end up wishing you ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of onion rings."

"Hey, I like the burgers here too," Emma muttered as she closed the menu and smiled at Ruby when the brunette approached their booth. "You want your usual, Gina?"

"Yes, dear."

"Okay, Regina's gonna have the garden salad, the light vinaigrette dressing on the side and a coffee. I'm gonna try the chicken burger with the works and onion rings with a coffee too and a Coke when the food is ready."

"Okay," Ruby nodded and Regina noticed that she and Snow exchanged a look between them before she took David and Snow's order. "I'll be right back with your drinks, guys."

"Thank you," Snow and Emma said in unison.

Regina shrugged out of her coat, leaving it to pool on the bench seat just behind her and she straightened out her plum colored blouse as Emma proceeded to do the same with her own jacket and pushed up the sleeves of her light gray sweater. Again, the look that Snow gave the both of them was not lost on Regina and since she was well accustomed to not letting her true emotions show, especially when something bothered her, she sat there with a stoic expression on her face as she waited for Ruby to return with their drinks.

"So, tell us more about this trip?" Snow fished as Emma fidgeted until she casually draped her arm around the back of the booth and behind Regina. "You're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. As soon as Henry is off to school, we're gonna pack up the Bug and get on the road."

"And you'll be back when?"

"Tuesday afternoon?" Emma shrugged as she looked over at Regina. "We've got seven days and seven nights booked."

"What will you be doing there?"

"Relaxing," Emma said. "There are daily rides on the trails around the ranch and other activities too, but mostly relaxing."

"That sounds like a dream, sweetie."

"Maybe more like Regina's dream," Emma shrugged and Regina had to fight the blush that crept over her cheeks. "I just wanted to take my family away for a vacation, but the whole family vacation thing is gonna have to wait until Henry is done school for the summer."

"I'm sure you two will enjoy the time away," David said as he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, ceasing whatever it was she was about to say. "If it is enjoyable enough, perhaps I can take your mother away there soon as well."

"We'll return the favor of looking after Neal while you two are gone," Emma said quickly and she turned again to look at Regina. "That's okay with you, right?"

"Of course."

"Actually," Snow said slowly. "I was thinking maybe all of us can go away together sometime soon? A true family vacation!"

 _More like a week in hell with the in-laws_ , Regina thought before she could catch herself thinking far too ahead. "We'll discuss it upon our return next week," she said with a tight smile. "Next week over lunch?"

"Yes, of course," Snow beamed. "Or dinner if you two don't get back in time for lunch."

"Now," Regina said just as Ruby returned to their booth with their drinks. "Regarding Henry while we're gone, he has a strict curfew he must stick with and there is no doubt that he will try and talk you two into allowing him to push some of the boundaries that Emma and I have set for him."

"Of course, Regina," David said with an encouraging nod that did nothing to hide the fact that he, along with Snow, were a bit nervous about watching a nearly fifteen-year-old for almost ten days. "We've got this under complete control."

"See?" Emma said with a wide grin. "Complete control."

"We'll see," Regina muttered under her breath and she reached for the small ceramic creamer and added just a splash to her coffee. "We shall see, indeed."

[X]

It was warm for eight in the morning, possibly the warmest day of the year so far, and Emma was packing up the Bug, loading up the backseat with a cooler filled with food and her duffel bag, making sure to leave plenty of room for Regina's own bag when she made the trip to Mifflin Street to pick her up in less than half an hour.

She shut the driver's door just as her father pulled up behind the Bug in his truck and came to a stop, the brakes squealing a little. With a smile, she walked around to the side of the truck just as David hopped out.

"Hey," Emma greeted. "You're early."

"Your mother wanted me to bring our stuff over now. She's still at home getting Neal ready to go. He's fussy this morning."

"More so than usual?"

"Yes," David said tiredly. "You just about all set to go?"

"Yeah."

"Henry off to school already?"

"He stayed with Regina last night," Emma replied. "He should be on the bus by now."

"All right," David said and he walked around to the bed of the truck and pulled out a rather large brown suitcase. "Where can your mom and I sleep?"

"My room?" Emma shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"No funny business in my bed, all right?"

"What is this funny business that you speak of?" David said with a playful wink and Emma fake gagged as she led the way up the front walkway to the front door. "You should really look into getting a proper bed for the guest room."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that right after I ask Regina for a raise," Emma replied with a roll of her eyes and she opened the front door. "Just change the sheets before I get back."

"Of course."

"Regina made me print up her itinerary for Henry for the week," she continued as she led the way into the kitchen where her cup of coffee still sat on the kitchen table. "It's uh, quite a lot. We really don't have that many rules and expectations when it comes to Henry, but Regina is—"

"She's nervous about leaving him home," David said with a knowing nod. "It's understandable. Henry is in good hands."

"I know."

"Can I ask you something, Em?"

"Sure."

"Is there something going on between you and Regina?"

Emma sputtered mid-sip of her now cold coffee. "What? Something going on between—like what?"

"I don't know, I was just asking," David replied calmly and he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's just that you two seem a little closer than you've ever been before and you two are going on vacation together for a week. Your mother and I are just curious, that's all."

"What would you even need to be curious about? Regina and I are just friends, Dad."

"I know."

"But?"

"Yesterday," he said. "At the diner."

"What about it?"

David sighed and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Nothing. Just friends, right?"

"Just friends, Dad."

Emma's mind was spinning as she tried to keep a stoic expression on her face while she thought about why her parents would think that she and Regina were more than friends. Sure, they _were_ closer than they'd ever been before and it was a good thing, it was a great thing, but they weren't more than friends and Emma was solely convinced that it would always be that way.

Did her parents confuse their friendly, albeit a little bit too flirty banter, as something else? That was the only logical reason she could think of as to why they would think that she and Regina were more than just friends.

She refused to think of any other signs, choosing to stay oblivious since her feelings for Regina were beginning to surface far more quickly than they ever had before now that Hook was out of the picture completely.

"I should get going," Emma stammered and she moved away from her father to place her mug in the sink. "I—I'll call you guys once we get there, okay?"

"All right," David nodded. "Drive safe, Em."

"Will do."

Emma couldn't get out of the house fast enough and the ride to Regina's house was a quick one as she nearly ran through a few stop signs since she wasn't exactly paying attention. She cursed at how she was reacting several times before she pulled into Regina's driveway and exhaled sharply.

She tried to shake the brief conversation she'd had with David as she got out of the Bug just as Regina came out the side door.

"Hey, ready to go?" Emma asked nervously.

"Yes, I have two more bags inside," Regina said as she lugged out a large suitcase. "Could you grab them for me?"

"Two more? You know we're only going away for a week, right?"

"One can never be too prepared, Emma."

Emma just nodded dumbly and hurried into the side door where she found two smaller suitcases sitting by the door in the mudroom. She also noticed the case of wine and a smaller case of Regina's homemade cider and she shook her head as she carried the two luggage bags out to the car.

"What did you pack anyway?"

"Things I'm sure I won't need, but—"

"One can never be too prepared," Emma repeated her earlier words. "You know they have alcohol there, right?"

"Ah," Regina nodded as Emma struggled to open the passenger door and push the seat forward. "I prefer to drink my own. The wine is vintage. These are bottles I'd forgotten were in the cellar until I checked this morning."

"Sounds good," Emma said and she struggled to get Regina's bags into the backseat and barely managed to push the seat back. "Uh, I'm not sure where we're going to put them."

"What about the trunk?"

"Uh—" Emma coughed as she scratched at the back of her neck. "I have some stuff in there I haven't gotten around to taking out yet."

"Stuff?" Regina didn't look amused. "Like what?"

"Boxes I brought from Boston with me. The first time."

"Emma."

"I know!" Emma groaned. "I just keep forgetting."

"Why don't you store the boxes in my garage?" Regina suggested as she casually pulled her sunglasses that were on top of her head over her eyes. "They'll be safe there until our return, I assure you. I'll even help you carry them in."

"I'm sure I can get those cases to fit," Emma muttered and Regina just shook her head and walked around to the front of the Bug. "Regina—"

"Whatever your reason for forgetting to take those boxes out after years, I'm not going to press you for an answer, but we do need the space, do we not? Your backseat is packed tight and for no good reason with all that space up front."

Emma just shook her head and walked around to the driver's side to pop the trunk. The boxes were mostly books and odds'n'ends she had lugged around for years, but one of those boxes contained personal, adult toys she kept meaning to store away in the attic for months and never had a chance to get them out without anyone seeing the box, the label on the box, or even the contents of said box.

"You have a house now," Regina stated as she waited for Emma to pull the first box out. "Why didn't you put these away somewhere?"

"I kept forgetting."

"So you said. If you kept forgetting, surely whatever is in these boxes make no difference to you."

"Are you going to help me carry these into your garage or what, Gina?"

The box in question was left for last and Emma had hoped to get to it first before Regina pulled it out for herself. It wasn't taped like the others were and she did not, absolutely did not want Regina knowing the extent of her sex toy collection she hadn't used since before Henry had found her.

Emma just wasn't quick enough to get back to the Bug after she had struggled with the box of books without hurting herself trying to put it down on the floor with the others.

"Toys?" Regina asked as Emma exited the side door of the garage and Emma already felt the mortification flooding through her immensely. "Are these Henry's toys?"

"No!" Emma said and she ran over to the Bug, placing both hands down on the flaps of the box before Regina could open it. "They're not Henry's toys, Gina. Let me take this one and you can just wait in the car and—"

"So, you _are_ a child?" Regina teased. "Or are you one of those types who collect toys in original packaging in hopes of selling them for a small fortune in the future?"

"Uh—"

"Well?"

Emma shook her head and grabbed the box, pulling it away from Regina quickly. "They're not those kind of toys."

"Oh?"

Emma wanted to die of embarrassment and she backed away with the box firmly held in her hands. "They're adult toys, Regina."

"What are—oh! I see."

"Yeah."

"Just hurry up and put it with the other boxes. I'd like to get on the road soon."

Emma nodded before nearly tripping over her own two feet as she made a dash for the garage. After a quick scan around the workbench, she found a roll of duct tape and taped up the box before she found an old drop sheet and threw it over her boxes. Satisfied, she walked out of the garage and locked it with the single key Regina had left in there and pocketed it as she headed back to the car.

Emma said nothing as she got into the car and backed out of the driveway a few seconds later. Regina was busy paying attention to her phone, an iPhone 5S that Henry convinced her to get a few weeks ago to "stay with the times" since her Blackberry was, in the eyes on a teenage, ancient technology.

Emma played with the dial on the radio, trying to tune into anything but the one station they had in Storybrooke, but because it was impossible to get anything else, she had to settle on the 80's pop that played on the station or silence.

After ten minutes, they were approaching the fading town line and even though there was no longer a barrier in place, Emma still held her breath and she noticed that Regina did the same. As they passed over, the slight buzz of magic Emma always felt diminished, but it didn't fade completely.

"Did you feel that?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "I still have my magic."

"Just a little," Emma replied. "It's not as strong."

"No, it wouldn't be, but there is magic in the rest of the world now, more so than there has ever been before. It feels stronger than the last time."

"It does."

"Are we driving straight to the ranch or do you have a stop or two planned along the way?"

"We'll need to stop for gas in Augusta," Emma replied as she checked the gas gauge. "Did you eat?"

"French toast with apples with Henry and a cup of espresso before he left for school."

"So," Emma drawled. "You want to stop for breakfast somewhere?"

"Sure."

"Hardee's again?" Emma asked and Regina rolled her eyes when Emma looked over at her. "No shame in it, Gina. It's good food, for fast food anyway."

"Perhaps we could try something else?"

"Of course, we'll see what's on the way, yeah?"

"Of course."

[X]

After two hours of driving, Regina sighed for the umpteenth time as they passed a sign that advertised a rest stop and numerous restaurants. She was hungry, yet too proud to admit the fact, but she knew Emma well enough to know that it wouldn't be much longer at all until Emma gave into the hunger pangs and pulled off the interstate so they could get some gas and eat.

There was one thing Regina couldn't seem to get off her mind and it was the box that had Emma looking completely and utterly mortified. _Adult toys_. She wasn't vanilla or naïve, at least she hadn't thought to be until she subtly searched on her phone for said adult toys and it opened her mind up to a whole other world completely.

It also raised a lot of questions that she wanted to ask, but she knew that asking Emma those questions was pushing the boundaries between them just a little too far. They talked openly about a lot of things, but there were just some things that were entirely taboo between them, sex and anything related to it had never been discussed between them unless they'd had a bit too much to drink to loosen their tongues.

"You hungry?" Emma asked as she turned off the radio, silencing an old Tom Petty song that had been playing. "I don't think we're gonna make it to Augusta on what I got left in the tank anyway."

"Next exit?"

"Yeah. Next exit."

Unfortunately for both of them, the next three exits didn't have a rest stop, a gas station, or even a town for the first two. Regina was growing increasingly restless and she ended up back on her phone, browsing through the website that had come up after she had searched for adult toys.

She couldn't help but wonder what kind of toys Emma had. The box was rather large to contain just a few and the more she thought about it, the hotter and more aroused she became. She shifted in her seat and bit her bottom lip when she felt her panties growing damp.

"What are you looking at?" Emma asked as the exit loomed up ahead. "Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing on your phone?"

"Nothing, just some research."

"Okay," Emma said skeptically. "What kind of research?"

"I'm bored," Regina stated. "I'm just browsing an online store, all right?"

"That's research?"

"I'm comparing prices," she said with a frown and she quickly hit the lock button. "You're going to miss it."

"Huh?"

"The exit," Regina said as she motioned ahead and Emma nearly swerved off the road to make the exit. "Luckily for us, there aren't any cars on the road with us or else you may have just killed us, dear."

"Nah," Emma laughed. "I had it all under control."

"Of course you did."

"Hey, can you pull up the map on your phone? I don't want to get lost."

"What am I looking for?"

"Restaurants, a gas station, something. Anything."

Regina sighed and pulled up the map and she waited for their current location to show up. After zooming in, she saw nothing and she turned to Emma with a frown.

"What?"

"There is nothing around here but farmland, Emma."

"The sign a few miles back said—"

"I know what the sign said but there is nothing around here, Emma."

Emma pulled over to the side of the road and pulled the emergency brake. She pulled out her own phone and after a moment she groaned in frustration.

"You're right. There is nothing around here. Maybe we took the wrong exit?"

"I don't know, Emma."

"We'll just turn around and get back on the interstate."

Regina shifted in her seat, feeling increasingly antsy and in dire need just to get out of the car even if it was just to stretch her legs. But Emma was quick to turn the car around and was back on the interstate before Regina could suggest they take a little break and get out of the car for a few minutes.

It was almost twenty minutes before Emma pulled off the interstate again and into a rest stop where she stopped to get gas first before parking in front of the small diner that was next to the station. Regina walked into the diner with an irritated grunt and she didn't even bother once to make sure that Emma was right behind her.

After they ordered soup and sandwiches for lunch, and Regina got a half-decent cup of coffee, she sat in the tiny booth and knew she had to shake her bad mood. If she didn't get out of her bad mood, it'd be a long drive the rest of the way and an even longer week.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. "You've barely said a word since we got back on the road."

"I'm fine, Emma. I'm hungry."

"And bored. Road trips should be fun," Emma said as the waitress with the white curly hair placed their bowls of soup down in front of them. "We spent over eight hours in the car going to New York and another eight coming home. We've barely been on the road for three hours, Gina."

"I know."

"Do you not want to go on this trip?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what is it?" Emma asked in a hushed whisper. "Are you nervous about spending so much time away from Henry?"

"No."

"Are you afraid we're going to end up killing each other after spending a whole week together?"

"No," Regina said with a light chuckle. "As insane as you drive me at times, Emma, I don't want to kill you. I'm fairly certain I've already made that statement."

"Right."

 _I'm in love with you, you idiot_ , Regina thought and she glanced down at her bowl of soup, a simple looking bowl of chicken noodle soup that smelled absolutely delicious. _I'm in love with you and I can't tell you how I feel, not when I know that you'll never feel the same way._

Emma was stirring her own soup, tomato, while waiting for it to cool and for her grilled cheese sandwich to be served. Regina had opted for the grilled chicken sandwich and when hers was served first, Emma just muttered grumpily into her bowl of soup and pouted like a child.

It was moments like that when Regina questioned her feelings for the blonde, but it was also moments like that that reminded her of why she fell in love with her in the first place.

Emma Swan was different than anyone Regina had ever known in her lifetime. Emma Swan had many layers to her and Regina loved peeling back each one despite knowing there were so many more layers to unearth and discover. Emma Swan had invaded her dreams for years, her dreams and her fantasies, and in the beginning, her nightmares. Emma Swan was constantly on her mind, day and night.

When she first realized how she felt about Emma, she thought that she was going to go insane with the amount of times she thought of her or thoughts of her just crept into her mind and most times it happened out of nowhere. But now that it had been so long since she'd realized her true feelings for Emma and accepted how she felt without doubting her heart, thinking of Emma constantly was just a part of her daily life, and it was one she had learned to embrace fully.

Regina watched Emma eat with a small yet amused smile on her face. Emma, as always, was completely oblivious to the fact that Regina could not take her eyes off of her. Regina ate what she could and sat back in the booth, full and satisfied as Emma continued to slowly devour her sandwich and soup.

In recent weeks, she'd seen the old Emma come back, and now that she knew why, she didn't ever want Emma to fall back into that deep, dark hole where being in a relationship drained her and turned her into someone she was not.

"I'm just going to head to the washroom before we head out," Regina said. "Do you want me to pay while I'm up?"

"You sure?"

"Yes," she said with a smile and she slipped out of the booth and headed for the washrooms near the back of the small diner.

She was quick as the facilities were not the cleanest she'd ever been in and after she washed up and checked her hair and her makeup, she headed out to the till to pay for their meal. The white-haired waitress rang up their check and Regina pulled out her credit card from her purse.

"Have you and your wife been together long?" The woman asked as she handed Regina her card back.

"My wife?" Regina asked, trying to reign in the shock that someone thought that she and Emma were not only together, but married. "Uh, no, not long at all."

"Well, I wish you two the best."

"Thank you."

Regina folded the receipt the woman handed her and headed back to the booth. Emma stood up immediately just as she took the last bite of her sandwich and wiped her hands on her jean-clad thighs.

"Ready to go, Gina?"

Regina let her lead the way out of the diner and she groaned in frustration. It was going to be an even longer day than she thought it'd be, that was for sure.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Thank you for your continued support! Love and support will always outweigh the hate and negativity! You are all seriously the best readers! Now, enough of that, on to the next chapter! Enjoy :)**_

* * *

Two wrong turns, one rest stop, and three hours later after leaving the diner, Emma pulled into the narrow dirt driveway that led the way from the road to the main house on the ranch.

Emma just didn't understand why Regina was in such a mood, but she didn't push her to talk either. Throughout the three hours they were on the road, an hour and a half longer than it should've taken, she noticed Regina had her attention focused on her phone and whatever it was she was looking at.

"Well," Emma said as she parked in front of the house next to a row of three other cars. "We're here."

"Finally."

"You want to stay in the car while I go check in?" Emma asked and when Regina didn't respond, Emma scratched at the back of her neck. "Right. I'll be right back."

Emma headed into the house, using the door that had "office" written over the window in small red letters. The room she walked into was small, with just a single desk and an older man seated behind it.

"Hello," the man said with a friendly smile. "Welcome."

"Hi," Emma said, returning the smile. "I have a reservation under Swan."

The man looked in the ledger he had in front of him and nodded enthusiastically as he turned in the chair and reached for a set of keys on the pegboard behind him. He placed the keys on the desk and pulled out a paper and a pen from the desk drawer.

"I'll just need you to sign here," he said and he handed Emma the pen. "I have a welcome booklet here for you with all the information that you'll need. If you have any questions, my wife Estelle and I are here in the office until five. You'll be able to get in touch with us at any time. Just pick up the phone in the room and press nine."

"All right, thank you, sir," Emma said and she quickly signed her name along the bottom of the page and placed the pen down before picking up the keys.

"Take Sunset Run," he said. "It's just to the right, cannot miss it. You will be cabin twenty, most private of all."

"Uh, thank you, sir."

"Bart," the man replied. "The name is Bart."

"Thank you, Bart."

Emma pocketed the keys, grabbed the booklet, and headed back out to the Bug. Regina was still sitting in the front seat and she was still scrolling through her phone, her attention focused solely on the page she had up.

Emma got in and tried to look at what had Regina's attention, but Regina placed her phone face down on her lap with a pointed glare.

"Any service up here?" Emma asked.

"Minimal."

"Better than none," she shrugged before backing out of the spot and taking the road that Bart had told her to take to get to their cabin. She handed Regina the booklet and drove down the dirt road, passing the sign that said Sunset Run in bright, rainbow colored letters.

The first thing that Emma noticed was how far apart each of the small log cabins were from one another, and after about five minutes, they'd only passed a handful of them. Emma started to feel a little anxious as the road curved into a thick grove of trees and led the way over a small wooden bridge that spanned the length of a creek. After another five minutes, she spotted the last cabin at the end of the dirt road, their cabin and home for the next week.

"You want to go and check it out while I get everything out of the car?" Emma asked as she parked by the small front porch. "Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you—"

"Yes, give me the keys," Regina stated as she held out her hand.

Emma fished the keys out of her pocket and handed them over before they both got out of the car. While Regina went into the cabin, Emma started to unload their bags from the backseat. She barely had Regina's suitcase out when Regina stormed out of the cabin with a loud huff.

"What?"

"Are you sure this is right?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked and she placed Regina's suitcase down on the ground before she headed up to the cabin. "What's wrong?"

"One bed, Emma."

"What?"

"There is only _one_ bed."

Emma laughed nervously and headed into the small cabin. The first thing she noticed was the small kitchenette and the large fireplace that had a long, deep couch in front of it. The second thing she noticed was the bed, a double, situated just off in a nook from the main room.

"Shit."

"Is this some kind of a mistake?" Regina asked from behind her, startling her. "Surely you made sure that there would be more than just one bed when you made the reservations, hmm?"

Emma frowned and spotted the phone on the table beside the bed. She walked over and picked it up, hitting nine before waiting for the line to click through to the office.

"Hello?" Bart answered.

"Hi, this is Emma Swan, I just checked in not too long ago and—"

"Is everything all right, ma'am?"

"I think there has been some kind of a mistake."

"Pardon?"

"I think there's been a mistake," Emma repeated. "There is only one bed."

"Oh?"

"When I made the reservations, I was under the impression that I made a reservation for a family of three. I kind of thought that meant more than one bed."

"Ah."

Emma pinched her nose in frustration and breathed in slowly to stay calm. "Is there any way we can, I don't know, change cabins? Preferably one with two beds?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, we don't have any cabins with two beds," Bart said lightly. "We are a couple's resort."

"Oh."

"Is there a problem?"

Emma looked over at Regina and frowned. She already feared Regina's reaction and she didn't want the man overhearing what she knew was going to be an epic argument between the two of them. She shook her head lightly.

"No, there's no problem, Bart. Let me just talk to—let me call you back in a few minutes, okay?"

"All right, ma'am."

"What is the problem?" Regina asked as Emma hung up the phone. "Are there not any available with two beds?"

"Uh—"

"From the look of things, it's not too busy here at all today. Surely they can move us to one with two beds, can't they?"

"Uh Regina, that's just the thing," Emma said and she felt her face flush in embarrassment. "They don't have any with two beds."

"None that is available?"

"None at all, actually."

Emma shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and waited for Regina to respond. Instead of responding, Regina just walked out of the cabin and retrieved the booklet that Emma had handed her earlier and returned. Regina stopped short just inside the doorway and looked up from the booklet with a pained expression on her face.

"Emma," she said tightly. "This is a couple's resort."

"Yeah…"

"Did you know this?"

"No!" Emma said quickly. "I swear, I didn't know that it was when I looked it up and Henry is the one who found this place. I just called and made reservations, that's all."

"Emma."

"I'm sorry!" Emma groaned and she sat on the edge of the small bed. "Do you just want to go back home?"

"After we drove all this way?"

"Yeah?"

"No," Regina sighed and she sat down next to Emma on the bed. "No, I don't want to leave."

"You don't?"

"It was an unfortunate mistake."

"So, we're going to stay? Even though we're not—"

"The couch looks comfortable enough to sleep on," Regina continued. "I'm sure we can find a way to make this work for the week."

"Comfortable enough for _who_ to sleep on?" Emma asked and upon Regina's pointed look, she frowned. "Me? I'm sleeping on the couch? Why do _I_ have to sleep on the couch?"

"You're the one who didn't thoroughly research this place before making the reservation, Emma."

"I swear, the website never said it was a couple's resort, Regina. If I had seen that, I would've picked someplace else. Are you sure you don't want to just go home? We can always book another week of vacation somewhere else?"

"No, Emma, we're here now, so we might as well stay and make it work one way or another. After everything we have been through, this is hardly the worst situation."

Emma sighed. "You're right, it's not the worst we've been through. We'll make it work."

[X]

Just a few hours after settling in, Emma threw a few logs into the small fire pit behind the cabin and set to work on getting it lit. Though she could feel some of her magic still lingering, she opted on doing it the old-fashioned way, with a match, some kindle, and a few sprays of lighter fluid she found in the Bug under the seat.

She felt like an idiot even though Regina's reaction had surprised her. She felt like an idiot because she didn't know that the ranch was a couple's resort. She felt like an idiot because, the longer she thought about it, the more she was convinced that Henry had some ultimate scheme up his sleeve when it came to her and Regina.

She had already spoken with her parents shortly after they decided to stick it out, but she didn't tell them of the unfortunate mistake she'd made in taking Regina to a couple's resort for the week. She'd already come to the conclusion that Henry was definitely behind this as he had been the one who found the resort. She had texted him to call her when he could, but she knew her son well enough to know he'd do all that he could to delay the inevitable.

"Damn it," Emma muttered as the match went out before she could lower it into the kindle. "There has got to be an easier way to do this."

"There is, dear. Stand back," Regina said from the back door of the cabin. With a wave of her hand, she had the fire lit.

"Thanks, but I had this," Emma sighed as she got up from her crouched position. "You know, you don't have to use magic for everything, Gina."

"No, but seeing that I _can_ doesn't mean that I shouldn't."

Emma sighed again and pulled up one of the Adirondack chairs closer to the fire. Regina went back inside and returned a moment later with two large glasses of red wine. She handed Emma one before pulling up a chair next to her.

"Thanks."

"I've made up the couch for you," Regina said. "I found some extra sheets and a blanket in the closet by the bathroom."

"Thanks."

They fell into silence, though it wasn't the usual comfortable silence they fell into when they were around one another. Emma felt wound up, antsy and even a little bit nervous. She sipped her wine and was surprised at just how good it was, much better than the last couple of bottles she and Regina had shared on Saturday night.

The sky was already dark and the night was growing colder with every passing minute. The fire did nothing to starve off the chill, but neither of them made the move to go inside the cabin until after they'd finished their glass of wine.

Regina didn't say a word when she got up to go inside. Emma just poked at the fire with a long stick and watched the embers on the log fall to join the burning coals beneath. She could tell there was still about another hour left of the wood she had on the fire and she sighed heavily as she continued to poke at the burning log.

"Would you like another glass?" Regina asked softly, startling her.

"Uh, sure."

Regina held out the bottle and topped up Emma's glass before sitting back down in her chair and poured the rest of the bottle into her own glass. She placed the empty bottle underneath the chair and exhaled slowly as she sat back.

"It's quiet here," Regina mused. "Quieter than Storybrooke. I never thought that was possible considering."

"Considering how cut off Storybrooke has always been to the rest of the world for the last thirty-three years?"

"Yes."

Emma had asked her before if she'd ever thought of what would've happened had she done anything different, and the answer had always been the same. Regina wouldn't have done anything different if it meant never having Henry in her life. Though Regina's answer had always been the same, Emma wondered just how different their lives would've been had the curse never been cast at all.

She frowned and poked at the fire once more before dropping the stick in the dirt that surrounded the fire pit. She sipped her wine and cast a glance over at Regina and she couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the gorgeous woman sitting next to her.

"I like the quiet," Regina said softly. "It relaxes me."

"Me too."

Regina chuckled as she turned to look at Emma. "Henry would love it here too, well, he would if it wasn't a couple's resort. Perhaps next time we can find a place like this we can all go to next time?"

"Of course," Emma smiled. "Although, I'm pretty sure by the end of this week you're going to wish you didn't say that."

"We'll see, dear."

Emma shook her head and leaned back to look up at the stars above. She had to admit, even if just to herself, that she felt at peace there in that very moment. With the stars above, the fire crackling and popping, a good glass of wine and Regina at her side made it feel good. Something about it all just felt so right and for once she didn't feel anxious, and instead she just reveled in that very feeling.

She was used to the lingering silence between her and Regina, but it was the ease of the moment that made it feel different than it had all day. By the time she was halfway through her glass, she could feel her body fully relax and her eyes begin to close as her body tried to give into the pull of sleep.

Emma blinked when she heard a small whoosh and looked down at the fire to see that it had been extinguished. Regina just smirked as she headed into the cabin without a word and Emma followed a few seconds later. Emma placed her glass on the coffee table and grabbed her duffel bag from where she'd left it by the door while Regina disappeared into the bathroom.

She used those few minutes to change into her pajama's, which were nothing more than an old gray t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxer shorts that were not only comfortable but had also seen better days. She frowned at how ratty her sleeping clothes were, but she settled down onto the couch and tried to get comfortable while she waited for Regina to emerge from the bathroom.

After nearly ten minutes, Regina finally did emerge with her face free of makeup and her hair loosely pulled back into a ponytail. She had a dark gray robe on and under it, from what Emma could see she was wearing what looked to be silk pajamas. Regina didn't say a word as she crawled into the bed and turned off the bedside light and the only light that remained was from the lamp beside the couch.

"Good night, Regina," Emma said quietly, downing the last of her wine before grabbing the blanket that was folded at the foot of the couch.

"Good night, Emma."

She flipped off the light and settled down on the couch. It wasn't comfortable at all, a little too hard with some odd lumps that dug into the small of her back. She frowned deeply and grunted in frustration as she tossed and turned, trying to find at least one position that was mildly comfortable so that she could fall asleep.

Five minutes passed with no success. Ten minutes and Emma was growing irritated. Fifteen minutes and she heard Regina scoff from the bed. After twenty minutes, she groaned loudly and shivered as a chill settled in the cabin that the blanket she had did nothing to keep from settling in her body.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"What is the problem?"

Emma sat up on the couch and in the darkness of the cabin, she could faintly see that Regina was sitting up in the bed and staring straight at her. She frowned and tried not to let the chill in the air rattle her, but her teeth chattered as she gripped the blanket closer.

"It's cold," she muttered. "And the couch is lumpy."

Regina sighed and she faintly saw Regina throw back the blankets on the bed. "Get in here then, Emma. I would like to get some sleep tonight and I cannot do that with your incessant tossing and turning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"The bed is small."

"I'm aware."

Emma inhaled slowly and let it out as she rose from the couch and wrapped the blanket around her. "Are you sure?" She asked again as she approached the bed. "I know we've shared a bed once before but it was much bigger than this."

"I don't bite, dear. Get in. It's cold."

Emma climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets over her, sighing as the softness of the mattress made it feel as if she was sinking into heaven. After a few minutes, with their combined heat beneath the sheets, she finally began to feel warm enough to relax again.

"Thanks," Emma whispered and she felt Regina shift next to her. "Good night, again."

"Good night."

Emma turned on her side with her back to Regina and tried to fall asleep, but her mind was suddenly on overdrive and her body all too aware of how close Regina was in the small bed.

Eventually, she did fall into a light sleep, waking up every time she felt Regina move even just a minuscule of an inch. It wasn't until Regina fell into a deep sleep and stopped moving that Emma finally felt herself giving in to the inevitable pull of sleep, succumbing to the dreams she likely wouldn't remember come morning.

[X]

Regina's eyes fluttered open when the first rays of sunlight began to peak through the windows of the cabin. She yawned and was about to stretch out in bed when she froze. Emma was pressed up against her back and her arm slung around her middle. Emma was spooning her and her hand was creeping under the edge of her shirt. Regina knew that if Emma woke up to them in that position, it would not end well, but she took a few minutes just to enjoy the feeling of being held by Emma and enjoyed the warmth of her body and the smoothness of her fingertips against her skin.

After nearly five minutes, Regina couldn't quite find it in her to remove Emma's hand from her abdomen and slip out of bed. She was thoroughly enjoying the moment even if Emma likely wasn't aware she had moved to spoon her at some point throughout the night. She nearly reached her breaking point when Emma moved a little closer and she could feel Emma's hot, steady breath against the back of her neck.

She bit her bottom lip to stifle the moan that threatened to slip out. She failed to hold back the next one as Emma's hand slipped a little further up her abdomen and then casually slipped a leg between hers. She felt her arousal pool as Emma pressed a strong thigh against her center and another moan slipped past her lips before she placed a hand on top of Emma's to stop the ascent of her hand that was dangerously close to the underside of her left breast.

"Emma?"

"Hmm?"

"Emma?" Regina tried again and tried not to arch back into her as Emma pulled her body a little closer. "Emma!"

"Huh?" Emma murmured and Regina nearly lost it at the soft brush of Emma's lips against the back of her neck. Regina groaned and elbowed Emma a little too hard in the ribs.

"Emma, wake up," she said and she managed to slip out of Emma's hold just as Emma finally woke up.

"Shit," Emma gasped and she nearly flew out of the bed, taking half the sheets with her in the process. "Shit, I'm so sorry, Regina. I—I didn't know—I—"

"Stop," Regina sighed as she tried to casually sit up while trying to ignore the fact that the panties she had one underneath her pajama pants were nearly soaked right through.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's quite all right," she said calmly. "Emma—"

"I really am sorry, Gina. Apparently I like to cuddle in my sleep. Who knew?" Emma laughed nervously as she backed away from the bed before rushing to the couch. "I'm just going to go out for a run."

"It's far too early."

"It's never too early for a run," Emma replied. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll be a little while, longer if I get lost. When I get back and after I shower, maybe we can make some breakfast?"

"I'll be sure to have the coffee ready by the time you return," Regina replied and she lay back down on the bed as she pulled the blankets over her body. "Enjoy your run, dear."

Regina couldn't help but watch Emma as she quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt, catching a quick glimpse of her bare and well-defined legs and then her upper body even though it was just her bare back. It left no doubt in her mind that given the chance, she could spend hours exploring Emma's body with her hands, her lips and her tongue.

Beneath the blankets, she squeezed her legs together and turned on her side, stifling a groan as Emma swiftly walked out of the cabin. It was a few minutes later that she found she was able to relax, but the insistent throbbing between her legs didn't let up and though she wasn't one to resort to touching herself for relief, there was absolutely no way she would get through the day if she didn't.

Regina waited for nearly ten minutes before she slipped a hand inside her pajama bottoms and inside her panties. She slicked her fingers through the closely cropped hair and between her folds, a moan escaping as she felt how incredibly aroused she was.

She closed her eyes and focused on bringing herself tumbling over the edge, and it wasn't long before her mind drifted off to fantasies of having her way with Emma Swan.

[X]

A light fog hung in the early morning light as Emma jogged down the dirt road they'd taken to get to the cabin. Her body was aching, burning, but not for the rush she got from pushing herself to her max, but because she was hornier than she'd been in longer than she could remember.

Waking up holding on to Regina, not just holding on to her but snuggling and close to copping a feel while nearly dry humping her, it had sent her body into overdrive. It wasn't just her body that had gone into overdrive, it was her mind as well, and she could not shake the thoughts of what would've happened if Regina hadn't woken her up at that very moment. How much further would her sleep-addled brain have taken things?

She pushed harder down the dirt road, feeling her lungs begin to burn the faster she ran. She slowed down after a minute and struggled to focus on her breathing.

The one thing that had been rolling around in her mind was the fact that Regina had been well aware of what she'd been doing and where her hand and her leg had been. Regina hadn't pushed her out of bed or even yelled at her, just tried to wake her up with a sharp elbow to her ribs.

If she hadn't run out of there as quickly as she did, what would've happened then? Emma was both intrigued and scared to know what would have happened, especially since the image of Regina first thing in the morning was now ingrained in her mind and would be a source of many of her fantasies from there on out.

"Morning!" Bart called out as he pulled out from another cabin in a green golf cart. "Early for a run, isn't it?"

"Morning," Emma said and she came to a stop. "It's never too early for a run."

"Course not, not when you're young and able," he chuckled. "How was your night?"

"Uh, good, yeah," Emma nodded. "The cabin is great."

"I hope you will join us and everyone else tonight for dinner at the house. Drinks start flowing at four."

"Sounds great. We'll be there."

"Wonderful."

Emma gave him a curt wave before continuing on down the road. When she reached the main road, she stopped to stretch and decided to head back, her body already aching for a hot shower that ended up as a cold one just so she could get through the day with Regina.

It was nearly twenty minutes before she got back to the cabin after choosing a slow jog instead of a steady run to wind down with. She stretched out beside the Bug for a few minutes before she headed up to the door and let herself in.

"Gina, did you put the coffee on…" Emma trailed off as her eyes landed on the sight of Regina still in bed, but she definitely was not sleeping.

Emma's heart practically leaped into her throat as she stood stock still and watched Regina—mainly Regina's hand under the sheets that was clearly between her legs and moving steadily. Emma gripped the edge of the door and realized that Regina hadn't heard her nor noticed that she was no longer alone in the cabin.

It was almost as if one of her fantasies were coming to life before her very eyes, though her walking in on Regina touching herself in her fantasies usually followed up with a "can I lend you a hand, Madam Mayor?" and not with her standing in the doorway feeling as if she was about to have a heart attack at any given moment.

Emma's knees suddenly felt weak as she heard the most salacious moan fall past Regina's slightly parted lips. If she had any doubt that she was attracted to Regina sexually, the last of it went flying out of the windows and the open door just hearing her moan.

She'd never felt more nervous in her life, but Emma didn't do nervous, not anymore. She took a few deep breaths before she lightly shut the door behind her and pulled off her baggy sweatshirt, walking as confidently as she could across the cabin in just her sweatpants and sports bra. She didn't even look over at the bed as she passed it, not even when Regina gasped in surprise and Emma heard her scramble to sit upright. She just walked right into the small bathroom and shut the door with a heavy sigh.

Emma made sure her shower was a quick one, but as soon as she stepped out and wrapped the towel around her, she realized she had failed to grab some clean clothes on her walk of confidence through the cabin while Regina was masturbating. She just leaned up against the closed door and groaned, jumping when two soft knocks resounded on the door.

"Do you still want some coffee, Emma?"

"Uh yeah, coffee would be great," Emma replied, her voice cracking nervously. "Definitely great."

She waited for a few minutes before she emerged from the bathroom in only a towel. She peeked around the door and saw that Regina was busy in the kitchenette and trying to figure out how to get the ancient looking coffeemaker to work.

She made a mad dash to grab her duffel bag, cursing under her breath with half of her things fell out, and she didn't bother to pick anything up on the rush back to the bathroom to get dressed.

"So much for being confident," she muttered under her breath as she nearly slammed the door shut behind her. "Shit."

[X]

Regina's hands were shaking as she measured out the coffee groups and dumped them into the filter basket. Her heart was racing a mile a minute ever since she heard the bathroom door close half an hour earlier. How much had Emma seen, if anything, how much had she heard?

She hadn't meant to go on so long, but her release evaded her despite even using magic to cause a slight vibration in her fingertips. She also hadn't meant to check out so far that she hadn't heard Emma from the very moment she had walked into the cabin either.

"Gods," Regina groaned as she shut the lid on the ancient coffeemaker and hit the power button. She sighed in relief as she heard the machine come to life and begin to brew.

She almost embarrassed to have been caught, though she wasn't certain just how much, if anything, that Emma had seen. She smoothed her hands over her robe and pulled it close, tying the belt tight as she watched the coffee begin to drip into the pot ever so slowly.

The second time she heard the bathroom door open, she inhaled sharply and tried to stay calm and composed as Emma emerged from the bathroom. She cast a sideways glance over at Emma, watching her as she walked over to the couch and dropped her duffel bag down on the mess of sheets she'd left behind the night before.

"Coffee almost ready?" Emma asked and Regina glanced over at the pot for a second before looking back at her with a raised eyebrow and a shake of her head. "Right. Do you want to start breakfast?"

"Not yet," Regina replied, her voice thick with arousal and she cleared her throat as subtly as she could manage. "Unless you are hungry, dear?"

"A little," Emma shrugged indifferently as she shoved some of the clothes that had fallen out back into her bag. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Regina echoed. "But I would very much like to have a cup of coffee before I even consider eating."

Regina noticed that Emma was reluctant to join her in the kitchenette and she couldn't blame her, especially not after how they'd woken up that morning not to mention what she had walked into after her early morning run.

Regina found it hard to take her eyes off of Emma, especially when all she could think about was how she'd woken up, how soft Emma's hand had felt just gliding up over her abdomen ever so slowly, and how _good_ Emma's body had felt pressed up behind her own.

"So, I need to talk to you," Emma stated as she finally joined her in the kitchenette a few minutes later. "It's about Henry."

"Oh? What about Henry?"

"I think he chose this place on purpose."

Regina struggled to keep her mask of indifference in place as she found two mugs in one of the few cabinets. "Did he? Have you spoken with him?"

"No," Emma replied. "But he did pick this place. And I have a really strange feeling it wasn't by accident."

"It definitely was not. Call him, Emma and we'll sort this out right now."


	5. Chapter 5

"A what?" Henry laughed into the phone as Emma held her cell out, his voice ringing out on speaker. "A couple's resort? Are you serious?"

"Henry," Regina said sternly. "This is not funny."

"It is a little, Mom."

"Henry," Emma said in an attempt to sound just a stern as Regina had a moment earlier. "It is not funny. Did you know that this place was for couple's only?"

"Uh—"

"Henry, tell us the truth," Regina pleaded. "Now."

"Fine!" Henry exclaimed. "But it's not what you think! I only wanted you two to spend some time together, that's all."

"We're not…a couple," Emma said, tentatively. "You know that, kid."

"I know, but—"

"But what?" Emma challenged. "Did you think that it'd change or something? Your mom and me, we're friends, kid. We're friends now and we're raising you together."

"I know that."

"Then why, kid?"

"I don't know."

Emma looked over at Regina who sported the same skeptical look she knew she had on her own face. "Kid," Emma drawled out slowly. "Just tell us the truth. Please?"

"You're my moms," he said slowly. "I don't know, I just want you both to be happy."

"We're working on that, kid, remember?" Emma said and she heard him sigh. "Not every happy ending happens that easily. You should know that better than anyone."

"I know."

Emma frowned and she found it impossible to look over at Regina in that very moment. She switched her phone from one hand to the other and finally lifted her eyes to look over at Regina. She couldn't read Regina in that moment, but it was different than the other times where she'd gotten mixed signals from her, it was more than just that.

"Ma?" Henry asked. "Are you mad?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Emma replied. "We just wanted to talk to you about this, that's all."

"Okay," Henry said slowly. "Well, you know I need to go catch the bus now, right? I can't be late. I have an algebra test first period."

"Kid—"

"Henry—"

"Moms, I got to go, the bus is here," Henry said in a rush. "Can you two just try and enjoy yourselves? You have a week. A week off of your lives and a week to just, I don't know, let loose and relax. Don't tell me you both don't need it because I know you do. I love you. I'll call you later, okay?"

The click of the phone sounded far louder than it was and Emma groaned as she hit the lock button and placed her phone down on the coffee table.

"I should've known he was behind this," Regina sighed and she lifted her coffee mug to her lips and took a sip. "You don't think we've somehow confused him, do you?"

"Confused him how?"

Regina shrugged. "He has two mother's," she said. "You don't suppose he thinks that we should be together, do you?"

"I—I don't know, Regina."

"We'll speak to him about this later," Regina said and she stood up slowly. "I should get in the shower. Do you want to start breakfast while I get ready?"

"Okay."

"You can manage a couple of eggs and toast without burning the place down, can't you?"

"One time I burn a piece of toast, one time, and you think I'm going to burn the whole place down every time I cook," Emma chuckled and she shook her head, loving the way that Regina's brown eyes twinkled as she laughed with her. "How many eggs do you want, Gina?"

"Two, please."

Emma headed for the small refrigerator where they'd put all their food they'd brought with them in the night before. She pulled out the carton of eggs and placed it carefully on the counter before finding a pan she could use to cook the eggs. After searching around the kitchen for some utensils, she frowned when she realized there was no toaster in sight. Not on that, but there was a problem with the small stove, none of the burners seemed to work when she turned the dials and she checked to make sure there wasn't something she was missing. Twice.

Emma left everything on the counter and headed out back where she gathered some firewood and spotted a metal rack leaning up against the back of the cabin. This time, she didn't bother to try and start the fire the old fashioned way. Instead, she focused on her magic and managed just a small spark that lit the fire with ease.

She headed back to the cabin to get everything she needed to cook their breakfast and returned back to the fire to get started. She had never cooked over an open fire before, but she figured it couldn't be too hard if humans had been doing it for hundreds of years before the modern stove was invented.

No matter how much she tried not to let her thoughts wander, her mind kept drifting back to what she had walked in on earlier. Even when she closed her eyes, all she saw was Regina on the bed and under the sheets and heard her soft, sensual moans like a siren song calling to her over and over again.

She could feel Regina's soft skin under her fingertips still, like a ghost lingering and haunting her. She could still feel the way Regina's body had felt pressed up against her own and she wanted to experience it again and again, night after night, day after day.

Those thoughts led to her wondering what if, what if they ended up together, what if they fell in love with one another and made a life together aside from the life they already shared because of Henry? What if, despite all their differences, that their relationship ended up being the best one either of them had ever had before? What if…there were just too many and Emma suddenly felt completely overwhelmed.

Emma turned as the back door opened and Regina stepped out dressed in a pair of fitted blue jeans, a plaid button-down that Emma recognized as one of her own, and a light gray jacket she'd left undone. Her hair was still damp from the shower and her face free of makeup, and in that moment Emma was sure she had never seen Regina look that beautiful and free before.

"The stove doesn't work," Emma explained. "Campfire breakfast. Never cooked over a fire before, so hopefully it turns out all right."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"No," Emma said with a small shake of her head. She smiled at Regina's oblivious look. "I got this, Gina."

Regina just took a seat and watched Emma as she finished cooking their breakfast over the fire. Emma plated the toast she didn't burn and the eggs that were a little runny but at least they were cooked and they sat there in the morning sunlight, eating off plates they balanced on their laps.

"It's not half bad," Regina said after a few minutes. "Though we should speak to the owner about the stove not working. I hardly think we'll make it through the week just cooking over the fire."

"I'll give him a call later about it."

"What is the plan for today, dear?"

"Uh, I think the stables are open at eleven for guests," Emma replied, trying to remember the basic itinerary the website had. "Do you want to go for a ride today?"

"That would be lovely."

"Great."

Emma went back to eating her breakfast and watched the fire slowly die off into nothing more than burning embers. Regina brought their dishes inside the cabin while Emma stayed outside to make sure the fire died off safely. She tried to take her mind off of Regina completely, but it was impossible. She just hoped that a few hours of horseback riding would help shift her thoughts to something else, _anything_ else.

[X]

Regina paced back and forth in the kitchenette as she read over the text that Henry had sent her while she'd been in the shower. He apologized for deceiving them both, for thinking he'd done the right thing in getting them to go there. Regina had only just texted him back asking him why a couple's resort and was anxiously awaiting his response.

Did their son think that they should be together? Did he want them to be together in that way? Did he truly believe there was something more between her and Emma and that's why he had a hand in sending them to a couple's only resort?

The phone call to Henry earlier had meant to settle things once and for all, but Regina knew him well enough to know that he would not blatantly admit anything, especially not in front of them both. She'd been on a bit of an edge since that phone call and her mind wouldn't stop racing, wouldn't stop trying to come up with any answer that made a shred of sense.

Her phone rang and Henry's name appeared on the screen and she sighed in relief as she answered it. "Hello, Henry."

"Hey," he said quietly. "I'm on break."

"I would certainly hope so since you know not to use your phone during class."

"Mom—"

"Henry, I need you to be absolutely honest with me right now, please," Regina pleaded quietly, keeping her eye on Emma still out in the back by the fire. "Why would you pick this place for us?"

"I don't know. I thought it'd be nice for you two to get away somewhere where there are no kids and stuff."

"Henry."

Henry sighed. "Is she near you right now?"

"No."

"The thing is, I know how you feel about her, Mom."

"And how do I feel about her, dear?"

"You're in love with her," Henry stated. "Aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I knew it!" Henry laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"And you haven't told her, have you?"

"Of course not," Regina sighed. "She doesn't feel the same way, Henry."

"How do you know that?"

"I—"

The truth was, Regina didn't know for certain. She had long since decided that there was no possible way that Emma Swan could ever be in love with her, that she could ever harbor the same feelings that Regina had for her. She switched hands and held the phone to her left ear.

"I just know she doesn't," she said quietly. "Unless there is something you know that I do not."

"You really haven't noticed the way she looks at you, have you?" Henry asked and from the tone of his voice, Regina just knew he was pulling a face over thinking of his two mothers together romantically. "I think she feels the same way you do, but she's scared, Mom. She's scared because I don't think she wants to be hurt again, to feel like she can have it all and then have it all ripped away from her."

"You think that I'd intentionally break her heart?"

"Would you?"

"No," Regina paused. "Henry?"

"Yeah?"

"If anything were to happen—"

"Of course I'm okay with it," Henry said in a rush. "I'm more than okay with that. That's weird, isn't it?"

"For you to want your parents to be together? No."

"But you two aren't, you know, gay or anything."

Regina couldn't help but laugh. As odd as it was to be having that conversation with her son, she didn't feel restricted in any way, not as she imagined before that she would.

"I don't like labels, dear."

"So, you're what, bisexual?"

"Is that the term?" Regina asked and she felt her heart start to race when she looked back out the window and couldn't see Emma anywhere. "I should go, Henry, as should you since I know your break is nearly over."

"Mom—"

"We'll call you later, all right, and tell you all about our adventures we're bound to have today," she said and she forced a smile at Emma as she walked into the cabin. "I love you. Stay safe and have a wonderful day at school."

"Henry?" Emma mouthed and Regina nodded.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"You should tell her," he said quietly. "Just tell her how you feel. Maybe it won't be as bad as you think it is."

"Henry, I—I'll think about it," she said softly. "Goodbye."

"Bye!"

Regina ended the call and placed her cell phone on the counter. "Is the fire out?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded as she walked over to the sink and ran the tap to wash her hands. "You just about ready to go?"

"Just about, yes."

"Did you call him or did he call you?"

"He called."

"Everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Regina replied. "He just wanted to apologize for deceiving us, that is all."

"Oh," Emma chuckled lightly. "Apology was accepted then, huh?"

"Yes."

Regina headed over to where her suitcases were sitting by the old dresser and pulled out a pair of boots to wear. She could feel Emma's eyes on her the entire time and it caused a delicious chill to run through her body. Once she had the boots on and zipped, she turned to Emma with a smile.

"Shall we head to the stables then?" She asked and Emma nodded a second later, looking awfully distracted and lost in her own thoughts. "Do you want to drive over or walk?"

"It's quite a long walk, Gina."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"Here," Emma said and she tossed the keys to the Bug to Regina. "Remember what I said before?"

"You've said a lot of things before," Regina teased.

Emma shook her head. "Well, I did promise you I'd teach you how to drive stick. What better time than now for you to learn, yeah?"

"You're going to let me drive your car?"

"Yeah. You gotta learn, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Regina, I'm sure. Come on, let's get going."

[X]

It wasn't the best idea to teach Regina how to drive the Bug on the narrow dirt road, but after ten minutes she'd started to get the hang of it. She only stalled out twice in the beginning and once she switched into the second gear, Emma had to remind her to keep the speed down while holding on to the door handle in fear that Regina was going to run them off the road if she spun out.

Despite that, they made it to the stables in one piece and Regina proudly smiled as she parked the Bug beside an old gray pickup truck and pulled the emergency brake.

"How did I do, dear?"

"Good for a first timer," Emma replied and she reached over to grab the keys out of the ignition. "Though you'll need some more practice before you can drive on an actual road or anything."

Regina laughed and Emma felt a ripple of arousal course through her body at the sound of Regina's rich laughter. She loved it when she laughed so freely. It was a sound she very rarely heard, but one that she wanted to hear more of and often at that.

They walked into the stables together a few minutes later and were greeted by the sight of four couples being talked through the procedures when it came to riding by Bart and his tiny wife that stood at his side.

Emma tried to pay attention, but it was hard to when Regina stood at her side, their hands brushing once in a while. Once Bart was finished explaining everything, each couple were led to a stall to tend to their horse for the early afternoon ride they'd all be partaking in.

"Ah, just you two now," Bart said as he approached Emma and Regina last. "Come," he motioned and led them down to the very last stall. "This is Jerome," he said as he opened the gate to the stall and Emma took one look at the giant black horse and her eyes went wide. "Now, no need to be afraid. Jerome is a gentle giant."

"I'm sure he is," Emma said nervously. "Where is the other one?"

"Other one?"

"There's two of us, shouldn't we each have our own horse?"

Bart laughed and shook his head. "This is your horse. Yours and your wife's. Come," he said and he grabbed a hold of Emma's hand, pulling her into the stall. "Say hello."

"Wife?" Regina mouthed when Emma glanced back at her and Emma felt absolutely mortified that the man had made that assumption. "Can he handle two riders, sir?"

"Of course, Mrs. Swan."

"Mills," Regina corrected him.

"Mrs. Swan-Mills," he said with a nod and a smile. "Now, which one of you will be taking the reins?"

"I will," Regina said before Emma could muster an answer. "I've ridden before in my younger years and have much more experience in riding than my _wife_ does."

"Perfect. I'll leave you two to bond with Jerome and I'll return to check on you before we head out on the trails."

Emma waited for the man to be out of earshot before she grabbed onto Regina's wrist. "Wife? Why does he think we're married?"

"We're at a couple's resort, Emma," Regina said. "I assume the majority of the couples here are married. It'd only be natural for him to assume that if that is the case."

"And you're okay with that?"

"It doesn't bother me, dear. Does it bother you?"

"No," Emma frowned. "Are you sure you're okay with him and probably everyone else thinking that we're—"

"Yes," Regina said quickly. "Now, let begin to make acquaintances with Jerome and we can get going on our ride."

Emma stayed back for a few minutes just to watch Regina interact with the large black horse. The horse was responsive almost immediately and he looked to be relaxed as Regina ran a hand over his neck and side. Regina looked at ease too in the presence of such a large animal, but Emma hadn't expected anything less as she knew that Regina had spent a good portion of her life around horses and other animals in the Enchanted Forest.

Emma was mesmerized by Regina, so much that she hadn't realized that Regina had stopped and was staring at her with a very unreadable expression on her face. Emma blinked and laughed nervously as she took a step forward to the horse. She tentatively reached out to pet him as she'd seen Regina do a few minutes before.

"Don't tell me you are afraid," Regina said, her tone teasing as she walked up to Emma. "You aren't afraid, are you?"

"Of Jerome?" Emma asked. "No." _But I am afraid of you, of riding him with you_ , she thought and she gulped nervously.

"Good. He seems comfortable enough. Will you help me lead him outside and I'll mount him first."

"Mount him?"

"That is the term," Regina replied. "Come, dear. I'd very much like to get out on the trails with the others."

Emma moved to grab a hold of the reins and with minimal instruction from Regina, she led the large horse out of his stall and through the stables to join the others just outside in a small corral where Bart and his wife were waiting. Emma handed the reins to Regina and turned to watch the other couple's as one, usually the man, helped the other mount the horse.

"Do you need a hand?" Emma asked quietly as she turned to Regina and her breath caught in her chest as she watched Regina flawlessly mount the horse without aid. "Apparently not."

Regina laughed and held out a hand down to Emma. "Put your foot in the stirrup and I'll help you on, Emma."

"Okay."

"Just hoist yourself up and swing your left leg around the saddle behind me."

Doing as she was instructed, Emma nearly fell the first time, but the second time she hoisted herself up with ease and mounted the saddle behind Regina. Regina placed the hand she was still holding onto on her hip and Emma immediately moved her other hand to the other side of Regina's shapely waist to steady herself.

"Ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" Emma muttered as she leaned into Regina.

"No," Regina chuckled. "Hold on."

[X]

Regina was enjoying the ride, not just because it had been a long while since she'd been on a horse, but because of the way that Emma was holding onto her. She was enjoying the closeness, and she was even enjoying the way Emma gripped on a little tighter whenever she picked up speed and the way that Emma would gasp into her ear when they reached a narrow part of the trail where the edge dropped down into a steep ravine.

After about an hour, the group came to a stop in a field to allow the horses to rest a little while before continuing on. Bart and his wife had packed a picnic for everyone, but Regina wasn't all that hungry. She opted for a glass of smooth white wine that one of the women had been offering around the group and she perched on a fallen log under the shade of a tree to watch as Emma joined the others in getting some food.

"Got you some food," Emma said as she walked over towards her. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"Oh," Emma frowned as she glanced down at the second paper plate she had in her hand. "More for me, I guess."

Emma sat down next to her and juggled with both plates until she gave up and placed one on top of the other. Regina noticed that Emma had loaded up on some fruits and veggies rather than just junk food and with a smile, she reached out to pluck a grape off the plate and popped it into her mouth.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Positive."

Emma shrugged and picked up one of the small sandwiches. She lifted off one side of the bread and plucked out the piece of lettuce with a grimace. Regina rolled her eyes and sipped her wine, loving the light, airy taste of it, and she made a mental note to ask the woman who had given the glass to her just where she'd bought it.

Emma was quiet as she ate and Regina found it impossible to look away. As always, she was mesmerized by Emma Swan and the way she ate, like she'd been starving and without food for days on an end. What mesmerized her was the way Emma moaned quietly every once in a while, and the way that she licked her lips in between bites. It was one reason why she invited Emma over for dinner more often than not, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that to herself either.

"What?" Emma asked. "Did I spill or something?"

"No," Regina chuckled. "Enjoying your lunch, dear?"

"Oh yeah," Emma nodded enthusiastically and she held out the other half of her small sandwich. "Are you sure you don't want any? I heard the others saying we still got quite a ride ahead of us and then we've got to double-back later."

"I'll be all right until later, Emma. I'm still quite full from breakfast."

"Yeah?"

Regina nodded. "Yes."

"All right everyone!" Bart yelled out. "Let's wrap this up and get back on the trail! Just got word in that there is a storm headed this way, so our ride today is going to be cut short."

"Damn!" Emma groaned and Regina just chuckled before downing the rest of her wine. "Guess we'll have to figure out something else to do today, huh?"

"I'm sure we'll find something to do."

"Hey ladies," the same woman who had given Regina the wine said excitedly as she approached them. "Ross and I are hosting a little party in our cabin when we get back. There'll be wine, beer, and games. Are you two interested?"

"Yeah?" Emma said, but it was more of a question as it was directed at Regina. Upon Regina's nod, Emma grinned. "We'll be there. I'm Emma."

"Tracy," the brown-haired woman replied. "And you?"

"Regina," she replied as she extended a hand. "Would you like for us to bring anything along?"

"Just yourselves!" Tracy said with a grin. "We're in cabin fifteen."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked Emma a few minutes later as they headed over to where the horses were waiting. "We don't have to go to this party."

"Why wouldn't we go?"

Regina frowned slightly. "We're at a couple's resort," she said under her breath. "Tracy likely believes we're a couple."

"So?"

"That doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

"No, Regina, it doesn't, but I'm starting to think that maybe it bothers you more than you're letting on," Emma said and she walked over to where one of the men was standing with a trash bag to gather the remains of the picnic.

Regina shook her head and mounted their horse. This time, Emma didn't need a hand, she just placed her foot in the stirrup and a hand on the saddle and hoisted herself up behind Regina like a seasoned pro.

Regina took the reins and waited for the others before she guided the horse to follow the path back to the ranch as dark clouds quickly began to roll in overhead. When the others picked up the pace, Regina turned to look back at Emma.

"Hold on," she said just as she felt Emma tighten her hold on her waist. "We have to go faster if we're going to outrun the storm."

"Right."

"Just…hold on, Emma."

"I am!"

Regina took a deep breath before coaxing the horse to keep up with the group. While she wanted to break out into a full run, she couldn't do that with Emma behind her, nor could she do that with a horse she'd only just met. She moved in time to the horse's stride and found it too easy to find that thrill she'd had when she was just a young girl riding her first horse, Rocinante.

It was easy to get lost in her thoughts and still focus on guiding the horse down the narrow trail back to the ranch just head of the storm that was moving in a little too quickly.

Surprisingly they made it back to the ranch and into the stables before the sky opened up and the rain began to fall. Thunder boomed off in the distance as she and Emma ran out of the stables and into the Bug, both laughing as they slammed the doors shut.

Regina pushed back her hair from her face as she turned to Emma, grinning widely as she watched Emma fumble with the keys in her pocket. Emma's face was flushed and she was still smiling too. Regina loved it when Emma smiled, especially when it reached her beautiful eyes and there wasn't an ounce of the burden of guilt she'd seen far too often behind some of Emma's smiles.

"What?" Emma asked as she slipped the key into the ignition.

"Nothing. You're beautiful when you smile, Emma."

"Thanks," Emma said under her breath, blushing as she turned over the engine and slipped the gearshift into reverse. "Are you sure you want to go hang out with those people?"

"Why not?"

"We don't know them."

"I'm aware," Regina sighed in annoyance. "But what is the harm in meeting some new friends while on vacation? It's not as if we'd ever see them again after we go home."

Emma shrugged, her attention focused on backing on the Bug up and driving down the dirt road that led to their cabin. Emma was quiet as she drove down the road in first gear, swerving once in a while to avoid the growing puddles that were forming. Regina tried to relax and stared out the window, watching the raindrops swirl and dance on the glass in the wind.

Emma had been so apprehensive about attending the party earlier and Regina knew why she kept bringing it up. She was trying to talk herself out of going and in turn, trying to talk Regina out of it too. She knew Emma well enough to know that she wasn't the most sociable person and that she liked to surround herself with people that she knew and was close with, not some random strangers they'd only just met.

As they passed the cabin Tracy and her husband Ross were staying in, a horn sounded from behind them and they both looked back at Tracy waving frantically before she dashed into the cabin with her husband rushing in behind her. Regina noticed two other cars pull up to park beside theirs and two other couples rushing into the cabin behind them.

A loud crack of thunder made Regina jump in her seat, and if Emma noticed, she didn't make it obvious as she continued down the road and pulled to a stop just in front of their home for the next week.

"Do you want to shower or anything before we go?"

"I could use a change of clothes and freshen up a little," Regina replied.

Emma just nodded and she was out of the car in a flash, dashing towards the front door of the cabin and rushing inside. Regina took a few deep breaths before she followed, running through the torrential downpour and into the cabin as quickly as she could.

Regina grabbed a clean shirt from her suitcase, all too aware of Emma's eyes on her when she made her way into the bathroom to change and to freshen up. Her heart was racing as she shut the door behind her and she pulled off her jacket and her shirt before pulling on the clean one, just a simple black V-neck long sleeved shirt that looked like it belonged in Emma's wardrobe and not her own.

She ran her fingers through her hair before grabbing her brush off the edge of the sink. Her hair was getting long, longer than it'd been in a long time, and for the first time since she'd grown it out, she contemplated about cutting it short, as short as it had been throughout the first curse and when she had first met Emma Swan.

She had magic outside of Storybrooke and while it wasn't as easy as it was there or in other realms, she still had control over the elements, even if just enough to manipulate them to bend things to her will. As she ran the brush through her hair a few times and stared at herself in the mirror, she frowned and placed the brush back down on the edge of the sink.

She had magically altered her hair before, but that had been back when she'd been the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest and had no patience for clumsy handmaidens who couldn't style her hair the way she had wanted. Beyond that and after the first curse had been broken, she'd visited the town barber only for a trim and nothing more.

With a shake of her hands, she lifted them to her head and closed her eyes, envisioning her hair much shorter as she ran her fingers through her hair slowly. She could feel the change happening, the length shortening, the ends feeling freshly cut. She took a few deep breaths as she dropped her hands and opened her eyes.

She smiled at the change she saw in the mirror, her hair shorter than it had ever been, the ends just tickling at her neck, and she took another deep breath before she exited the bathroom with a sway in her step.

Her smile faltered when she found Emma pacing in the kitchenette with her whole focus on her phone. She was typing furiously and she exhaled in frustration as she held out her phone in an attempt to get a signal as the storm raged on outside all around them.

"Something wrong?" Regina asked casually.

"Just can't get a signal."

"It's the storm."

"Right," Emma exhaled sharply and without looking at her, she headed for the door. "Do you think we should bring our own drinks?"

"Yes, I think we should."

"What about food?"

"Emma."

"I know we were invited over for drinks and stuff, but it's rude to show up empty-handed, right?" Emma continued and she stopped, turned on her heels, headed back into the kitchenette, and grabbed two bottles of the wine that Regina had brought along for their vacation out of the case. "Not enough or too much?"

"Emma."

"What?"

Emma blinked as she turned to look at Regina and she blinked again as her jaw went slack and her mouth fell open. Emma shook her head and her lazy, half-smile curled over her lips ever so slowly.

"Did you—you changed your hair!"

"I did."

Emma nodded. "I like it, Gina," she said softly and sincerely. "What made you want to change your hair?"

"I don't know," Regina shrugged indifferently. "I decided I wanted something different. Now, shall we head out? I'm in the mood for some _fun_."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma stood by the open door, watching the rain as it continued to fall as laughter filled the small cabin, and the smoke from the cigarettes some of the others were smoking drifted past her and out the door.

They had been at Tracy and Ross' cabin for a little over an hour, and it was clear that Regina was enjoying herself as she sipped her wine and talked with the other women as they sat on the sofa and chairs in front of the lit fireplace.

Above all the laughter and the lively chatter that filled the small cabin, Emma could hear Regina's rich laughter and the teasing tones in her voice when she spoke. Every time that Regina laughed it sent an undeniable shiver of arousal throughout her body and she had ultimately decided when Regina got her second glass of wine that standing by the door was safer than being immersed in the middle of it all.

"Can I get you another?" Ross, Tracy's husband, asked Emma as he approached her. "Maybe a beer?"

"A beer would be great," Emma said with a small smile. "Wine really isn't my thing."

"You just partake to keep the wife happy, huh?" He asked with a wink. "Me too."

"We're not—"

"Trace is always pushing me to like the things she likes, to drink the things she drinks, etcetera," he continued. "I guess the big part of having a good marriage is making sure the wife is happy, right?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"How long have you two been together?" Ross asked and Emma swallowed thickly, shaking her head. "Complicated?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"How about that beer then?"

"That'd be great."

Emma glanced over at Regina when she heard her rich, deep, throaty laughter once again. She had never seen Regina so relaxed and at ease around complete strangers before. It was almost as if she was seeing a whole new side of her after she had been convinced that she had Regina figured out completely. Once again, she was wrong about Regina Mills. She glanced down at what was left in her plastic wine glass, downed it and frowned as she watched Ross try to make his way back to her with the offered beer only to be distracted by his wife.

The power flickered before the lights stayed off for good that time and Emma groaned inwardly before walking over to Ross. He smiled as he handed her the beer he'd been bringing over to her and Emma moved to sit on the armrest on the couch beside Regina as there was nowhere else to sit.

"So," Tracy asked. "How long have you two been together? Regina hasn't said."

"Uh," Emma frowned as she looked down at Regina. It was one thing for people to assume they were together, but when it came down to specifics, Emma didn't feel comfortable coming up with a believable lie. "We've known each other for six years."

Not a lie, but not exactly the right answer to the question, but it was as much as Emma was comfortable with saying. She took a swig of her beer and didn't take her eyes off of Regina.

"But you haven't been together that long?"

"No," Regina answered. "I adopted her son sixteen years ago."

"But you've only known each other for six years?" Tracy looked confused. "I don't understand."

"It was a closed adoption," Emma offered. "Regina adopted my son and ten years later, my son shows up at my door when I was living in Boston. I took him back home and that's when I met Regina."

"Oh!" Tracy gushed. "If that's not fate, I don't know what it is!"

Emma saw a slight blush creep over Regina's cheeks, but she said nothing and just smiled politely at Tracy and the other women who were chattering quietly yet excitedly about their supposed fate meeting all those years ago.

Emma felt strangely uncomfortable, not because these strangers thought they were together and had fallen in love, but because it was stirring up a lot of feelings inside of Emma that she'd never felt before when it came to Regina Mills.

A part of her wanted what these people believed had happened between her and Regina. A part of her wanted to know what life would've been like if it had happened that way, if they had met and eventually fell in love with one another. A part of her wanted all of it and for the first time, she wondered if Regina was thinking the same thing.

Regina was hard to read on any given day, and Emma knew she was doing the one thing she excelled at best and it was hiding her true thoughts and feelings. Her expression remained neutral while smiling politely at the group of strangers they'd been hanging out with for the last little while.

When the conversation turned around and away from her and Regina, Emma excused herself and went back to stand by the open door. The storm was slowing down, she noticed, as the rain let up and the sky above started to open up just a little, but she could still hear the rumbling thunder and she saw a few distant flashes of lightning that indicated the storm wasn't yet over.

It wasn't long before the boisterous laughter filled the small cabin again, and yet all she heard was Regina above everyone else even though she wasn't particularly loud like some of the others were. The fact that she seemed to only being able to pay attention to Regina above all else reminded her a lot of the way her parents acted all the time.

Emma frowned as she lifted the bottle to her lips and paused, glancing down at what was left and frowned a little deeper. She drank the last of the beer and turned to look back at Regina, watching as she animatedly laughed as she was immersed in the chatter that was going on all around her. She felt a little dizzy all of a sudden and she felt a faint pull in the pit of her stomach, a feeling that reminded her all too much of those days when she used to run from situations that made her uncomfortable or uneasy.

"Hey," Emma said after she walked over to Regina and leaned down to speak with her. "I'm not feeling so great. I'm just going to head back to the cabin and lay down for a while."

"Oh? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No," Emma said with a shake of her head. "Stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Emma said with a small smile. "You're having fun. Don't let me ruin that for you."

Emma could feel everyone's eyes on her as she left the cabin. She was thankful the rain had stopped for the time being and she walked back to her and Regina's cabin quickly, avoiding the puddles in the road as best as she could. The storm picked right back up just as she made it to the cabin door and unlocked it.

Emma frowned as she kicked off her boots and took off her jacket before she walked over to the bed and fell down face first. She buried her face into the pillow as a loud crack of thunder shook the cabin.

[X]

Regina stumbled down the dark road, hiccupping as she tried to focus on taking one step after the other without losing her balance.

She was drunk but not drunk enough to the point where she'd forget about the long walk back to the cabin she insisted on doing alone. She was feeling good; at least she had been until the moment she realized that Emma had never come back to the party.

Had she really been enjoying herself that much that it took her hours to realize that Emma hadn't come back?

Her mind was a little fuzzy over what had happened just before Emma had left because she wasn't feeling well. She could just vaguely recall the conversation that had evolved and one that centered on her and Emma, their supposed relationship, and how they'd met.

Regina hadn't corrected the others, but then again, neither had Emma. That had surprised her because it was one thing for Emma to go along with it, and another thing to have sat through it, telling the parts of the story that was actually true and not telling the others as they speculated about their "relationship" that it wasn't even remotely close to the truth.

Suddenly she felt a lot soberer than she had when she'd left Tracy and Ross' cabin. It made the rest of the walk back a little easier. She was relieved when she found the door had been left unlocked since Emma had the keys, but her relief was short-lived when she walked in and found Emma sitting in front of the fire and drinking straight out of one of the bottles of wine she'd without a doubt got from the case Regina had brought along for the trip.

"Emma."

"Did you have fun?" Emma asked, her voice slurred as she turned to look at Regina. "I bet you did, didn't you?"

"I did," Regina said quietly and she shut the door behind her before locking it. "I see you're feeling better."

"Oh yeah, I'm feeling great."

"Emma—"

"For the record, Gina, I really wasn't feeling well," Emma said and she shook her head and slouched on the couch while she cradled the nearly empty bottle to her chest. "I slept for a while and woke up. Almost went back to that party, but decided not to go and ruin your fun."

"Why would you have ruined my fun?" Regina asked as she tentatively approached Emma as she slipped off her jacket.

"Dunno," Emma muttered. "But I would've I bet."

Regina shook her head and sat down next to her. "I'm glad you're feeling better now."

"I'm feeling drunk," Emma corrected her. "But thanks."

Regina reached for the bottle and Emma grunted, turning away from her so she couldn't take it away. "Emma—"

"I'm sorry I drank your wine," Emma snapped. "I'll replace it, all right? Just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you when we get back home."

"Emma, stop," Regina sighed heavily and she placed a hand on Emma's arm gently. "I don't care about the wine."

"Oh."

"Why don't you give me the bottle and go to bed?"

"Why?"

"It's late and you're clearly drunk."

"Yep."

"Emma," Regina said, her tone firm. "Give me the bottle and go to bed."

Even though she too was drunk, it wouldn't be the first time she's had to coax Emma into bed to sleep it off, but she was hoping it'd be the last since she hated seeing Emma in that state. She held out a hand and Emma let out an annoyed grunt before handing the bottle over. Regina placed it on the floor in front of the couch and stood up slowly before reaching out for Emma's hands to pull her to her feet.

"You're mean sometimes, Gina."

"Am I?" Regina asked, holding back her laughter as Emma stumbled into her arms. "Do you think you can make it to the bed, dear?"

"Got no choice, do I? Couldn't sleep on that damn couch last night, doubt I'll be able to tonight."

Regina sighed and moved to slip an arm around Emma's waist before helping her walk slowly over to the bed. Emma stopped when they reached the side of the bed and turned to face Regina. They were so close and Regina had to close her eyes and turn her head away or else it would've been entirely too easy for her to close the gap and kiss Emma Swan.

"What?"

"Get into bed," Regina whispered. "I'm just going to go get changed in the bathroom. Do you think you can manage on your own?"

Emma shrugged as Regina let her go. She watched Emma move to sit on the edge of the bed and nearly miss, but she recovered at the very last second. Regina grabbed her pajamas she'd worn the night before and with one last look at Emma, she turned and headed into the bathroom to change.

Regina had barely stripped out of her clothes when she heard a loud thump. In just a bra and her panties, she flung open the bathroom door to find Emma on the floor and struggling to get out of her jeans. Regina grabbed her robe she'd hung on the hook just outside the bathroom on the wall and pulled it on.

"Are you all right, Emma?"

"Peachy," Emma grinned drunkenly as she peered up at her from the floor. "Having a bit of trouble actually."

"I can see that. Do you need a hand?"

Emma frowned, but she nodded as she tried to sit up. "You know, this totally isn't the way I imagined you'd be taking my pants off, Gina."

Regina bit her bottom lip and helped Emma get up and back onto the bed. She ignored what Emma had said because if she didn't, there was nothing she'd be able to do to stop herself from doing all the things that she'd imagined doing to Emma Swan after taking her pants off.

Suddenly she knew it wasn't a good idea at all to help Emma get her pants off, not when she felt her body flush with heated arousal she couldn't quite fend off in her current state.

Regina rushed back into the bathroom, her heart beating, her skin becoming clammy and flush, and she leaned against the closed door, closing her eyes as she tried to fend off the feelings flooding through her body. She felt like a teenager all over again, unable to have complete control of her longing, over her desire for Emma Swan.

Regina took a few deep breaths, feeling like she was sobering up even more with every second that passed. She pulled off her robe, stripped out of her bra and her panties and pulled on her pajamas as quickly as she could manage. She barely had her pajama top buttoned before a knock sounded on the door that startled her.

"You done in there, Gina? I gotta pee," Emma whined from the other side of the door. "Gina?"

Regina took another deep breath before opening the door just before Emma knocked again. She said nothing as she stepped aside to let Emma rush into the bathroom and she walked out, pulling the door shut behind her to give Emma some privacy.

Being in a situation such as the one she found herself in right then and there was not something she was experienced in at all. Sure, she and Emma had been drunk together before plenty of times in the past, but it had been different, and Regina wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it had been because she'd been in the comfort of her own home and not someplace new and far away, not to mention those times that she and Emma had been drinking together, they'd never been truly alone, not like they were there in the little cabin.

Regina walked into the kitchenette and got Emma a glass of water and with a bit of searching through her bag and then Emma's, she found a small bottle of aspirin and placed the bottle and the glass of water on Emma's side of the bed before she crawled under the sheets on her side. She left the light on and turned on her side, facing away from the bathroom door and waited for Emma to return so that they could finally just call it a night.

"Fuck," Emma gasped as she opened the bathroom door, startling Regina. "Shit."

"What happened?"

"I stubbed my toe," Emma muttered and Regina turned in the bed to look over at her and immediately looked away when she saw that Emma was only dressed in a white tank top and a pair of black panties. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Regina frowned and looked back over at Emma, watching as she very carefully tried to make it around to her side of the bed without stumbling. The moment she was on the bed beside her, Regina reached over to flip off the light. The only light in the room came from the dying embers in the fireplace, but it was more than enough for her to see Emma in the darkness as she struggled to get under the covers.

"Emma?" Regina asked after a few moments passed. "Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"Emma."

"I'm fine, Regina," she muttered and she huffed in annoyance when she couldn't pull the one sheet out from under her body. "I'm just…I'm drunk and I'm tired. I don't want to talk right now."

"Okay. Good night, Emma."

Regina turned on her side with her back to Emma, but she didn't close her eyes despite how tired she was. She could feel Emma moving around on the bed beside her and she sighed, not in annoyance, but in exhaustion.

"That's all you're going to say?"

"You said that you didn't want to talk, Emma."

"I don't."

"Then go to sleep."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why on earth would I be mad at you?" Regina asked as she moved to lie on her back and turned to look at Emma. "I am not mad at you, Emma. Why would you think that?"

"I drank your wine."

"I don't care about that."

"I left the party and didn't come back."

"You left the party because you weren't feeling well. I understand completely, Emma. I'm not mad at you."

"Are you sure?"

Regina couldn't help but laugh and she reached for Emma's hand under the covers. "I'm sure, Emma. Get some sleep, all right?"

Regina didn't let go of Emma's hand. She didn't want to, especially not with the way Emma effortlessly intertwined their fingers and began stroking her thumb over Regina's ever so lightly. She closed her eyes again, focusing solely on the feel of Emma's hand in hers and the sound of Emma's steady breath so close yet so far at the same time.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

"How come you're so okay with everyone thinking that we're, you know, a couple and married?"

"I—"

"It makes you wonder if anyone else ever thinks that way," Emma continued. "Like everyone back home. Do you think anyone thinks that maybe we're together and hiding it?"

"I don't know, Emma."

"I mean, our kid schemed us into coming here and he knew it was a couple's resort. Do you think he thinks we're together, Gina?"

"I don't know," Regina frowned. "Henry obviously has his own ideas about what is going on between us."

"But there is nothing going on between us."

"Isn't there?"

Regina hadn't meant to blurt it out, but it came out anyway. She felt Emma tense beside her and she gripped on to her hand a little tighter to keep her from pulling away.

"Emma, I—"

"No," Emma said in a hushed whisper. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't say whatever it is you're going to say. Not now, not tonight. Not when we're both clearly drunk."

"Okay," Regina sighed. "Good night."

She gave Emma's hand a little squeeze before releasing it and she turned back onto her side to face away from Emma. She tried to quiet her mind and the hundreds of different thoughts running through her head all at once. Emma was right, now was not the time to say what she wanted to say, to confess her feelings for her, her _true_ feelings.

Yet, not even ten minutes passed before Emma was snaking an arm around her middle and snuggling up close, and Regina did nothing to stop her. Regina placed a hand over Emma's that rested on her abdomen and threaded her fingers with hers, smiling as Emma moaned and snuggled up a little bit closer to her.

[X]

The sun was a little too bright when Emma blinked open her eyes. Unlike the morning before, she woke up alone in the bed, and once she discovered that, she stretched out languidly and found the spot where Regina had been sleeping was still warm to the touch.

She inhaled deeply and that's when she could smell coffee, freshly brewed coffee and she moaned as she buried her face into the pillow Regina had slept on, inhaling her scent and just the faintest hint of cigarette smoke and a mixture of alcohol lingering there on top of the scent that was purely Regina Mills.

She rolled over onto her back and ran a hand over her abdomen where her tank top had ridden up, scratching idly at her skin before she leaned up on her elbows and looked around the small cabin in search of Regina. When she didn't see her anywhere and saw the bathroom door was wide open, she laid back down and exhaled sharply as her sleep-addled brain tried to recall what had happened the night before when Regina had come home from the party.

Though the conversation was fuzzy, she remembered what she'd said about Regina taking her pants off and she flushed in embarrassment as she scrambled to get out of bed. She could smell the wood burning out behind the cabin and she spotted Regina's gray robe draped over the back of the couch and pulled it on. She slipped on her boots, headed out the back door, and found Regina standing by the fire pit and poking at the logs that were just beginning to catch fire.

What surprised her wasn't the fact that Regina was attempting to make breakfast since she had everything she needed sitting neatly on one of the chairs. It was the fact that Regina was wearing a pair of dark gray sweatpants Emma had packed for herself and one of her hoodies.

"Hey," Emma said as she stepped outside and Regina turned to look at her with a small smile. "Need a hand?"

"No," she said as she turned her attention back to the fire. "I can manage just fine. How are you feeling?"

"All right."

"Just all right?" Regina chuckled lowly and Emma shook her head and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her borrowed robe, shivering a little at the chill that was lingering in the morning air. "I left you some water and aspirin."

"You did?" Emma frowned. "I woke up and all I could smell was coffee."

"Yes, I did, dear." Regina laughed again and shook her head. "Go get some coffee and I'll attempt to make us some breakfast."

"You want your usual?"

Regina reached down for the cup by her feet and shook her head. "I'm fine for now," she said nonchalantly before turning her attention yet again back to the fire she was coaxing to come to life.

Emma retreated back into the cabin to get some coffee and she slipped out of Regina's robe, hanging it on the hook just outside the bathroom door. She walked into the kitchenette and poured a cup of coffee, inhaling the rich aroma of it before she added some milk. She took a small sip before she picked up her phone and scrolled through her playlists before picking one at random and turned the volume up as loud as it would go.

She danced around the small cabin, pulling out clothes are random from her bag and tossing them on the bed as she decided on what she'd wear that day. As far as she knew, they didn't have any plans set in stone, none that didn't involve at least attempting another horseback ride since it'd been cut short by the storm the day before.

There was one thing that Emma knew and that was the fact that it was inevitable they would have to talk about the night before one way or another. She could barely remember the conversation, but it came in bits and pieces. Even as fuzzy as it all was to her, she was still so sure that Regina was going to say something to her, something that would forever change the way things were between the two of them.

Emma shook her head and walked over to the back door. Regina was still struggling with the fire in getting the flames at the perfect height so that they could have breakfast. Emma turned off the music on her phone and headed into the bathroom to have a quick shower.

The heat of the water helped the slight headache she had from drinking far too much wine. It also helped take her mind off of everything for those ten precious minutes and once she was out and drying off, she wrapped the towel around her body and strolled out of the bathroom to get dressed.

Dressed in her only other pair of sweatpants she'd packed for the trip, Emma pulled on a light gray henley before she began to towel dry her hair. She was about to put the music back on when she noticed she had a text from Henry that had been sent while she'd been in the shower.

 ** _Hope you and mom are having a good time. You two didn't kill each other yet, did you?_**

Emma chuckled lightly and shook her head, typing up a quick reply and sending it before she hit play, the sound of "American Woman" filling the cabin. It always made her want to move, to dance, and to swing her hips and her whole body to the beat. She sauntered over to where she'd left her coffee and despite it being a little cold she still drank it as she swayed her hips to the music.

She didn't stop when she heard the back door open, nor did she stop when she felt Regina's eyes on her, watching her as she danced to the song. As it came to an end, she hit stop before the next song began to randomly play and she turned to face Regina with a coy smile.

"Is breakfast ready?"

"Ah," Regina coughed. "I'm afraid not."

"No?"

"I'm not as skilled at cooking over a fire as you are, dear, and I'm afraid I ruined the last of our eggs."

"How did you manage that?" Emma asked and Regina just shook her head. "Don't tell me you tried to use magic to cook the eggs, Regina."

"I—absolutely not!"

"Regina."

She rolled her eyes and defiantly crossed her arms over her chest. "I couldn't get the fire to burn evenly. I tried a little bit of magic and the eggs disappeared."

"They disappeared?" Emma laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

Emma couldn't stop laughing and even though Regina was scowling at her, it was the funniest thing she'd heard in a long while. Though it was funny, her stomach growled and reminded her just how hungry she was, not to mention the fact that she had skipped dinner the night before and had no idea if Regina had eaten at the party or not.

She watched Regina run her fingers through her much shorter hair and she followed her to the small refrigerator and stood back as Regina assessed the food they'd brought along. Regina turned to her with a frown and ran her fingers through her short hair once more.

"I think a trip to the store is needed."

"Yeah?" Emma asked. "Why?"

"I don't think we've brought along enough food to get through the week, Emma."

"Right. I thought we did?"

"As did I."

"So, a trip to the store then?" Emma asked, moving to grab her keys off the counter. "We're not too far from town, are we?"

"I'm not certain, but we'll find out, won't we?"

"Do you want to change first?"

"What's wrong with what I am wearing?"

"I don't know, nothing. I just thought you might want to change before we go out anywhere, that's all."

"It's a bit chilly today," Regina said with a shrug. "And I didn't pack anything near as comfortable as this outfit. You don't mind that I took the liberty of raiding your bag for these clothes, do you?"

"No," Emma chuckled. "I don't mind at all. So, do you want to head out now? Maybe we can stop somewhere for breakfast because I don't know about you, but I am starving."

"When are you not, dear?"

"Touché."

[X]

Regina walked down the narrow aisle of the small grocery store they found in town not too far from the resort. They had stopped at the only restaurant in town, one that reminded them both of Granny's back home, both in décor and the food itself.

After they'd eaten breakfast, Emma a little too much as always, they explored the town a little before finding the small grocery store. They walked in silence up and down the aisles for a little while before Emma turned in a huff and went off on her own.

Regina pushed the shopping cart that was filling up slowly down the next aisle and spotted Emma at the end staring thoughtfully at the selection of unhealthy snacks on the shelves. Regina just smiled since it was typical of Emma to end up in the junk food aisle and contemplating what to choose as if it were a life and death situation.

"Can't decide, can you?" Regina asked, startling her.

"Uh—"

"I've got a few things to get us by for a few days," Regina continued as she pointed to the things in the cart. "Just pick a bag or two and let's get out of here, dear."

"I can't decide."

Regina looked at the selection in front of her on the shelves. There were potato chips in all sizes and flavors, chocolate bars and small containers of candy. Regina picked up a container of chocolate covered almonds and placed it in the cart without batting an eye. After a few minutes and a test of Regina's patience with Emma, she sighed in relief when Emma grabbed a bag of barbecue potato chips and a bag of M&Ms and tossed them into the cart.

"Anything else, dear?"

"Nope, I'm good," Emma replied and she took off down the aisle and headed towards the cashier.

Regina shook her head and followed her. The young, pimply-faced teenage boy behind the register quickly rang everything up and Emma reached into her jacket pocket for her wallet, but Regina stopped her, opened up her purse, and pulled out her credit card from her wallet.

"I've got this," she said quietly and flashed Emma a smile as she handed the card to the teenager behind the register.

Once the card went through, they grabbed a few of the paper bags and headed out to the car together. They put the bags in the backseat and Regina wasn't surprised in the least when Emma dug through the bags to get the M&Ms out so she could eat them on the drive back to the resort.

"What?" Emma asked as she opened the bag. "You want some, Regina?"

"I'll pass, thank you."

"What's going on with you?" Emma asked as she turned in the seat to look at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been acting weird ever since we got here. It's because people think we're a couple, isn't it?"

"No."

"Is it because Henry—"

"No, Emma," Regina said tightly. "And for the record, if anyone has been acting weird, it is you, dear."

"Me?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow up at the oblivious look on Emma's face. It took all she had not to reach over and pull Emma in for a kiss, a kiss she was desperate to take. Emma just shook her head, ate a handful of M&Ms before she drove off and headed towards the road that led to the resort. After nearly ten minutes, she pulled over to the side of the road and pulled the emergency brake lever.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Because, Regina, I want to know what the hell is going on with you," Emma said in a rush. "Everything is different. You're different. We're different and I don't know how to feel about that, okay! All I can think about is how much I want to kiss you and it's driving me crazy!"

"Then kiss me, Emma."

"What?" Emma blinked as she stared at her. "What?"

"You want to kiss me?" Regina asked lowly. "Then do it, Emma. I won't stop you."

It was in that moment that Regina realized she had to let Emma make that move first. Emma needed to be the one that took the next step and she knew that would only happen when Emma was ready for it to happen.

Emma just shook her head and pulled away from the side of the road, her foot heavy on the gas and her timing to switch the gears slightly off. Regina sighed as she turned to look out the window, not wanting Emma to see the disappointment in her eyes that she hadn't taken the chance, the opportunity to make that first move and to kiss her.

"Shit," Emma muttered as she pulled over to the side of the road right before the entrance to the resort. "You know what I don't get, Regina?"

"What?"

"You!" Emma said incredulously. "I don't get you! I don't know if it's just in my head, but you've been acting so different."

"So you've already stated."

"Why?" Emma asked. "Why, Regina?"

Regina just stared at her. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, but they just wouldn't come out. Emma looked like she was on the verge of losing it completely and Regina inhaled sharply as Emma quickly undid her seatbelt.

Emma muttered under her breath as she leaned over and grabbed on to the front of Regina's borrowed hoodie. Regina just wet her lips and stared into Emma's eyes before Emma pulled her in and crushed their lips together hard.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma moaned as Regina backed her up against the wall beside the door as it slammed shut. Emma squealed in surprise, not because of how into the kiss Regina was but because of the force behind the kiss itself. She had her hands firmly planted on Regina's hips, unsure of how far Regina would allow her to take things, but as Regina slammed her a little harder against the wall and slipped a leg between her thighs, Emma knew there were no limits in that very moment.

Yet, despite her senses being on overload, Emma pulled back from the heated kiss with a gasp. Regina shook her head, but she did not move away and instead just pressed her forehead to Emma's and exhaled slowly.

"We should get the food out of the car."

"Yes, we should," Regina sighed.

"Seem to be stuck between a wall and a Queen," Emma chuckled and as expected, Regina rolled her eyes and pushed at Emma's shoulders to put some space between them.

Regina chuckled lowly and it sent delicious shivers down Emma's spine. She headed back outside and to the car to get the bags of groceries out of the backseat. She placed two of the bags by the front door and retrieved the other two before Regina emerged from the cabin.

From the moment that Emma first kissed her at the side of the road, it had been impossible to stop kissing her as they drove down the dirt road to their cabin. As soon as Emma had parked, it had been Regina pulling her in for another kiss before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt again.

They had spent close to half an hour just in the car kissing. Emma licked her lips at the thought of the way Regina had continued to kiss her even when Emma was insistent that they go inside. She felt an arousing pull in her core as she and Regina carried the bags of groceries inside. As they put the groceries away, Emma kept stealing glances over at her and wanting nothing more than to kiss her again and never stop.

"For the rest of the week," Emma said as she put the fresh carton of eggs into the refrigerator, "I'm going to make breakfast. Deal?"

Regina chuckled lowly behind her. "Deal."

"Regina?" Emma asked as she turned to face her. "What is going on between us?"

"What do you think is going on between us?"

"I don't know," Emma laughed nervously. "That's why I am asking you."

"I think…" Regina trailed off as she reached for Emma's hands and pulled her in close. "I think perhaps we should just let this play out and see what happens, don't you?"

"Regina, it can't be that easy."

"Why not?"

Emma exhaled as she pulled her hands away, walked over to the couch, and sat down. "After everything we've been through, this, _us_ , it can't be this easy."

Regina followed her and sat next to her with a soft sigh. "I know it is I that should be thinking that way, that it cannot be easy for many reasons, not just because it is us," she said and she reached for Emma's hand. "But," she paused as she glanced down at their joined hands just as Emma did. "But I think that because it is us, there is no reason it should be impossible. We have, after all, conquered everything that has come into our path over the years and we've done it together."

"We have," Emma agreed with a smile. "There hasn't been anything we haven't been able to get through, but Regina, this isn't like anything else we've been through before. This is—this is new."

"Yes, it is."

"Have you ever been with another woman before, Regina?"

"Have you?"

"I asked you first."

"I want to know your answer first," Regina said, her tone teasing as she moved a little closer to her. "Have you ever been with another woman before, Emma?"

"Yes."

"Would you ever want to be again?"

"Honestly, that's all I'm thinking right now, but it's not just another woman I want to be with, it's you," Emma admitted and she exhaled sharply at how easy it had been to let the words come out, to admit that she wanted Regina and no one else but her. "What about you, Regina? Have you ever been with another woman before?"

"Yes. Once, but that was a very long time ago."

"Was it…here or—"

"It was probably two years after I enacted the curse. Graham was sick, which was unheard of, but he caught something one day and I was bored."

"Who was it?" Emma asked. "Oh god, don't tell me it was Ruby!"

"If it was?"

"Was it really?"

"Yes, but because of the curse, she didn't remember the next day and I was perfectly fine with that. Does that bother you, Emma?"

"That you were with Ruby?"

"Yes."

"No," Emma said with a small shake of her head. "It doesn't bother me, Regina. I mean, anyone with two eyes, hell even a blind man could see how attractive Ruby is. I can't blame you for being with her."

"It was only sex," Regina shrugged nonchalantly. "It was great sex, but that is all that it was. The very next day I went right back to looking at her the way I always had and did for a very, very long time. At times, it was almost as if it had never happened and as far as she is concerned, it never did."

Emma felt a little unsettled suddenly and she pulled her hand out of Regina's and stood up from the couch. She began to pace the floor in front of the fireplace and when she felt a slight chill in the air, she threw a couple of logs into the fireplace and concentrated on her magic. At least she tried, but barely a flicker of a flame appeared and she groaned in frustration as she turned to Regina.

Regina just procured a ball of flame with ease and tossed it towards the wood in the fireplace. Emma turned to watch as the flames licked at the wood for a few seconds before the wood caught fire.

"Would you like a drink, Emma?"

"No, no I'm fine," Emma stammered. "It's still early."

"We're on vacation."

"I know, but—" Emma frowned as Regina walked into the kitchenette and opened a brand new bottle of wine. "It's early, Regina."

"I know."

Emma watched her place the cork back into the bottle. Regina exhaled sharply as she pushed the bottle back to the back of the small counter. Emma walked the dozen or so steps it took to place her right in front of Regina. A big part of her wanted to just say "fuck it", and let loose, but another part of her reminded her that not too long before they'd been kissing.

Heavily. Passionately. Hungrily.

Hands grasping. Bodies melding.

Emma slipped her hands over Regina's hips, allowing herself just a moment to appreciate the way her hands slipped and dipped along Regina's curves. She allowed herself that extra moment just to lean in and inhale deeply, Regina's scent so distinct and _her_ made Emma's head spin delightfully.

She turned to nuzzle into the side of Regina's neck, taking a deep breath as she did, and the moan that escaped Regina's lips in that moment had her whole body shaking in arousal.

"This is crazy, isn't it?" Emma murmured before she leaned back, leaving the warmth of Regina's neck for a moment. "God, Regina," she exhaled as she slowly began to back Regina up against the nearest surface. Regina hit the edge of the counter in less than three steps.

"Emma," Regina whispered. "What _is_ happening between us right now?"

"I asked you the same thing," Emma said and she leaned in to kiss along the underside of Regina's jaw. "You said we should let this happen."

"Is that what we're doing now?"

Emma chuckled and nipped at Regina's pulse point. "You like to play the innocent one, don't you?"

"Hmm?"

Emma nipped at her neck again and soothed her tongue over the reddened skin ever so slowly. "You are far from innocent, Regina. It's one of the things I like about you. You are not innocent when it comes to a lot of things, but with other things you are."

"You _like_ me?" Regina laughed incredulously. "What are we, _children_ , Emma?"

"I believe the phrase is, "what are we twelve?", not what you said," Emma smirked.

"Oh really?"

Emma leaned back and looked into Regina's eyes. She really looked into her eyes and what she saw, what she _felt_ , was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She shook her head and slipped her hands under Regina's shirt to smooth her hands over the soft skin that awaited her.

Regina's lips were almost instantly on hers and Emma scratched her short nails over Regina's lower back before she began to blindly lead the way to the bed. They parted from their kiss only for Regina to pull Emma's shirt up and over her head, tossing it to the floor before pulling Emma back in to continue their fevered kiss.

Emma tugged at the bottom of Regina's hoodie and after they pulled back from the kiss with some hesitation, Emma slipped the hoodie off of Regina and smiled as she ran her fingers through Regina's short hair. She guided Regina back in, capturing her lips in a heated, wanton kiss, the rest of their clothes coming on in a rush as they took those last few steps to the edge of the bed.

She was not surprised when Regina pushed her down on the bed and immediately straddled her hips, taking control. She grabbed onto Regina's hips, pulling her down hard and she was not disappointed when she could feel the hot, wet heat emanating from Regina's cunt against her pubic bone.

Emma ran her hands up over Regina's bare hips and took in the sight of her beautiful naked body. It was no surprise Regina had the body of a goddess, but what did surprise Emma was the small feather tattoo she saw just under her left breast over her ribs.

Knowing that the meaning behind the tattoo was something Regina did not want to talk about in that moment, Emma moved her hand up the soft swell of her breast and teased her fingertips over a hardening nipple. Emma sat up and lifted Regina's chin with her other hand and placed a soft kiss on her lips before she guided Regina to lay down on her back in the middle of the bed.

She felt Regina smile into the kiss and she continued to tease her fingertips over Regina's nipple, feeling as it hardened with every swipe of her thumb. She trailed her lips over Regina's jaw and down the column of her neck, taking her time with every kiss she placed along Regina's smooth skin. As rushed as it had been until that moment, Emma wanted nothing more than to take her time with the woman beneath her, to make her feel every bit of the queen she truly was and worship her. All of her.

Regina moaned and ran her foot up Emma's right leg and hooked it around her hip, stopping her in her descent down her body. Emma playfully nipped at her hard nipple before lifting her head to look into Regina's brown eyes.

There was something almost feral in the way that Regina was looking at her, and there was a hunger that Emma knew was driven by nothing more than arousal and a need for release. Emma ran her hand over the leg that Regina had hooked around her hip, slowly trailing her fingers over the underside of her thigh.

Regina pulled Emma down for a bruising kiss with a moan that reverberated through Emma's entire body. She gasped into Regina's mouth when she felt Regina snake a hand between their bodies and between her legs without warning or hesitancy. It was enough of a distraction for Regina to roll Emma over onto her back and with a wicked grin, Regina teased her fingers over Emma's throbbing clit before pulling her hand away.

"Fuck," Emma murmured, tilting her head to the side as Regina began to kiss and suck along her neck. "Fuck, Regina!" She hissed as Regina bit at her skin before soothing her warm, wet tongue over the tender flesh she'd just marked.

Regina moved to kneel between Emma's legs as she continued on a slow descent down to her chest. Emma watched her as she licked a line from her collarbone down between her breasts and she arched into Regina, her body thrumming with arousal as she just wanted to feel Regina's hands, lips, and tongue everywhere.

Regina was nothing but a damn tease, something that didn't surprise Emma at all. Regina continued to lick down her skin, avoiding her breasts and her straining nipples and she ended just above her navel and nipped playfully at her skin. She heard Regina chuckle lowly before she slowly slipped a hand up her abdomen and stopped just shy of her left breast.

Emma reached down to grab onto Regina's ass and pulled her down against her, both of them moaning as they were pressed flush against one another. Emma tried to roll Regina over onto her back to pick up where she'd left off before, but Regina shook her head, reached for both of her hands, and pinned them against the mattress as she pressed her lips to Emma's roughly.

"There is no need to rush things, Emma," Regina murmured against her lips and she playfully bit at Emma's lower lip before kissing her once again.

Regina was in complete control and Emma willingly submitted to her. Regina released her wrists and it went without saying that she wanted Emma to keep her hands right where they were for the time being. As hard as it was to keep her hands off of Regina, Emma complied with the silent request and focused on the way Regina was kissing her and how good her naked body felt against her own.

"I—I thought you said there was no need to rush things?" Emma stammered as Regina suddenly pulled back and swept her hands over Emma's inner thighs and spread her legs wide.

"For you, maybe," Regina chuckled lowly and she licked her lips as her eyes drank in every inch of Emma that she could see.

"Fuck," Emma groaned as Regina moved down the bed and lowered her head to place feather-light kisses along her lower abdomen. "Regina…"

Regina moaned as she teasingly licked over Emma's inner thigh and then the other, her hands gripping at her legs as she held Emma spread open wide. Emma couldn't take her eyes off of Regina and she quivered as Regina's tongue swiped along her cunt, taking the first taste greedily.

Emma struggled to keep her hands at her side against the mattress, but it was an impossible feat as Regina's tongue teased along her slit and circled over her throbbing clit. The third time Regina licked the length of her, her hands went to Regina's head and she threaded her fingers through Regina's soft, short hair and arched into her with a throaty moan.

Regina sucked, and licked, and nipped at her cunt hungrily and hurriedly, bringing Emma close to the edge in just a matter of minutes. It wasn't until Regina deftly slipped a finger inside of her that Emma felt her body give in and tumble over the edge, her orgasm sudden and although quick, it was intense.

She grasped at Regina's hair, her nails scratching over her scalp as Regina continued to languidly lick her as her orgasm trembled through her body. Regina leaned back with a satisfied smirk and Emma exhaled as their eyes met and her whole body thrummed with nothing but arousal once more.

Regina crawled up her body, pausing every other second to place a kiss along her abdomen and then her breasts before Emma pulled her down for a deep kiss. She could taste herself on Regina's lips and tongue, and it only caused another shockwave of arousal to flutter through her body.

Every time Emma tried to flip Regina over, she was stopped and surprised at the strength that Regina had to hold her down. The fifth time, Regina gave in and allowed her to take control and end up on top.

"So persistent," Regina teased.

"Of course," Emma murmured and she wasted no time in settling down between Regina's legs and spread her wide. "I can't wait any longer to taste you, Regina."

She felt Regina shudder in anticipation and Emma inhaled deeply, taking in the musky, salty scent between Regina's thighs. The dark hair that covered her cunt was a little wild but trimmed neatly over her lips. Emma reached out to slick her fingers between her folds and found that she was so very wet. She inhaled deeply before moving in to take her first taste and the moan that slipped past Regina's lips was enough to make her nearly cum again.

She raked her nails through the short hair as she swirled her tongue over Regina's slit, tasting her fully for the first time. With her thumbs, she spread Regina's lips open and languidly dragged her tongue along her cunt, drinking her in and moaning at the heady taste of her.

It was nothing but addictive and she knew she would never get enough of the way Regina Mills tasted or the way that she quivered against her tongue every time she teased the tip inside her tight hole.

Regina came almost instantly, at least she did much quicker than Emma had, but when Regina's hands gripped tight onto her hair and held her right where she was, Emma didn't let up nor did she try to move away. She was thoroughly addicted to the taste of her and there was no way she was moving until Regina begged her to stop.

Somewhere in the cabin, Regina's phone began to ring, but Regina tightened her grip on Emma's head and encouraged her to continue even though she was still riding her first orgasm, her body twitching and shuddering with every breath she took and more so with every languid lick of Emma's tongue over her clit.

When Regina came for the second time, her body went slack and her hands fell from Emma's head heavily. Emma licked and nipped over her inner thigh before moving to lick over her once more, watching her cunt twitch at the light touch of her tongue.

"Emma."

"Hmm?"

"Emma," Regina gasped. "Come here."

"In a minute."

"Emma!" Regina cried out as Emma wrapped her lips around Regina's clit and sucked. Hard.

Regina's third orgasm came just as quickly as the first two, but Emma wasn't teasing or gentle, she went in hard and ravenous, sucking on Regina's clit as she sank two fingers deep inside her, twisting and thrusting until Regina was gasping and writhing uncontrollably.

She eased when Regina raked her nails up her arms and silently begged her to stop, even just for a moment. She took a few deep breaths and slicked her fingers through Regina's wet folds, watching every twitch, every spasm, hearing every gasp and every moan depending on just how she touched her.

Emma wiped at her chin and lips and crawled up Regina's body, pausing to place loving, lingering kisses along her flushed, sweaty skin. She stopped at Regina's breasts, exhaling slowly as she watched her nipples harden and the goosebumps that appeared whenever she lightly traced her fingertips along her skin.

"Come here," Regina murmured, her voice low and deep.

Emma complied but only because the driving need to kiss her again was too much to deny for a second longer. They sank into one another the moment their lips met in a lazy yet deep kiss and Emma felt that same feeling she'd felt before, that feeling that was so indescribable but she knew it was nothing other than it filled her with such warmth and love.

She dared not say it. Not yet. But she felt it as she kissed Regina with everything that she had and more. She also felt it because of the way Regina kissed her back and in the way that Regina just held her close.

And when Regina effortlessly flipped her onto her back, she laughed because she knew things were definitely going to take a very interesting turn, not just in that moment or even that day, but also from that moment on.

[X]

Regina woke to the sound of her phone ringing for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. She felt groggy yet sated as she blinked open her eyes and realized that the cabin was dark and the fire had long since died out.

Emma lay behind her with an arm wrapped around her middle, holding her close. Her breaths fell steadily against the back of Regina's neck and she could do nothing but smile at the way it felt to be held by Emma just like that. She ran her hand over the back of Emma's that lay firmly over her stomach just below her navel and she sighed as Emma snuggled in closer to her.

It was hours upon hours that they'd fucked and made love before they both fell into an inevitable and unintentional sleep. Regina wasn't even sure how long she'd been sleeping, but it felt like a few hours at least as she turned to try and look at the clock in the dark cabin that was just above the fireplace.

Emma moaned softly as her hand began to move along her stomach and Regina arched back into her, seeking out more of her warmth as the chill in the cabin started to penetrate beneath the single thin sheet they had covering most of their naked bodies.

"Emma?" Regina whispered as she heard the phone ring its last ring and grow silent. Emma murmured incoherently into the back of her neck and her hand continued its descent. "Em?"

"Hmm?" Emma murmured sleepily and Regina gasped and spread her legs a little as Emma's hand slipped between her thighs, her fingers gliding over her still swollen clit.

Regina exhaled shakily and made no move to stop Emma from touching her. After hours of doing nothing but, all she wanted and all she craved was Emma's touch again.

It amazed her how easy they had just fallen into one another, how it went from just a kiss to so much more in a matter of minutes, and how none of it felt awkward and unsure much like most encounters did between new lovers.

At least that is what she had experienced in her life with lovers she had feelings for that were very much reciprocated without those very words having to be said. Emma didn't need to say it, Regina _felt_ it in every touch and every kiss, every gasp, sigh, and moan.

And she had returned it tenfold, over and over again until neither of them could move much at all aside from finding a comfortable position to fall asleep in together.

She could still faintly smell the delicious scent of sex in the air as she breathed in deep and rolled her hips against Emma's hand, seeking out more than just the teasing and light touch as Emma languidly stroked a single finger over her clit.

She turned slightly in Emma's arms, smiling as Emma shook her head sleepily and buried her face into her neck with a murmur and a deep, throaty moan that reverberated throughout her entire body. Regina slipped her hand under the sheets and over Emma's bare side, watching her in the darkness as she trailed her fingertips up to the soft swell of her breast and then over the semi-erect nipple that awaited her.

Now that she'd had every bit of Emma, it was hard for her not to take her whenever and however she wanted. To put it simply, Emma tasted delicious everywhere, and had she known just what she'd been missing from the moment Emma Swan walked into her life, she wouldn't have waited so long to have a little taste of her.

Emma Swan completely overwhelmed all of her senses now that she had every bit of her, and that hadn't changed in the hours since they had fallen asleep, sated and exhausted beyond belief.

Regina leaned back as Emma moaned in her sleep and she watched her for the longest time, captivated by the way she moved as she dreamt whatever dream she was dreaming in that very moment.

She smiled as she ran her fingertip over Emma's hardening nipple, watching carefully as Emma inhaled deeply and moved to slip a leg between hers and snuggled into Regina as she murmured incoherently in her sleep. She couldn't hold back the moan that slipped out when Emma started to kiss along her neck and over the sensitive skin where Emma had marked her several times throughout the day.

Regina slipped her hand along the length of Emma's back and beneath the sheet the covered her lower half. She felt Emma arch into her as she ran her hand over the curve of Emma's smooth ass and gripped it tightly, pulling her in even closer to her. Regina tilted her neck and Emma continued to kiss along the love bites she'd left behind earlier as she rocked against Regina's thigh and pressed hers further into Regina's cunt with a small moan.

Regina had never experienced anything quite like what she had with Emma that day. She had never had a lover she felt so comfortable with, even as they slept soundly at her side. She had never wanted someone so badly, even after her whole body was spent and protesting anything other than a few hours of sleep or more. Even with Emma against her, kissing her neck in her sleep, she wanted her just as badly as she did from the very moment that Emma had made the first move and kissed her in the car at the side of the road.

"Emma?" Regina whispered and she moved her hand from Emma's behind and slowly up the curve of her spine. "Emma, sweetheart?" She tried again and she felt Emma subtly shake her head before she continued to kiss along the side of her neck. "Emma?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you awake?"

"No," Emma murmured and Regina laughed softly and shook her head before reaching to tilt Emma's chin so that she could look at her. "What time is it?"

"I have no idea, but it's dark outside and the fire is out."

"Hmm," Emma sighed. "Let's go back to sleep, Gina."

"Is that all that you want to do, Emma?" Regina asked before guiding Emma the last few inches to kiss her softly. "To sleep?"

"No."

Regina grinned as Emma moved to lay down on top of her. "I didn't think so, dear."

They kissed deep and slow as Emma continued to wake up ever so slowly. Regina raked her nails down Emma's back, eliciting a throaty moan and a full body shiver out of her all at once. She smiled into the kiss and repeated the same touch, not disappointed that Emma's body reacted in the exact same way once again.

Their kiss became deeper, harder, and there was a hint of desperation as Regina grasped onto Emma's ass and pulled her down a little harder against the thigh Emma was straddling. She could feel how wet Emma was growing with every second that passed and all she wanted was to throw Emma down on the bed and have her naughty way with her, over and over again.

It had become so clear earlier that they both wanted to dominate, to be in control, to be on top. Regina had loved the way they constantly fought for that position and how they both gave up so willingly when it became all too clear that all they wanted was to feel that intoxicating pleasure they could make one another feel. Over and over again.

Regina just laid there as Emma moved to kiss down her body hurriedly. She laughed when Emma pulled the sheet over her head on her descent and she moaned when she felt Emma's tongue eagerly lick her cunt. Regina suddenly stopped her and pushed the sheet away so that she could look down into Emma's eyes.

"Turn around," she whispered and she nearly came from seeing the hungry look in Emma's eyes. "Emma. Turn around. I want to—I _need_ to—"

"Fuck, okay," Emma gasped excitedly and she managed to turn around, albeit a little less gracefully than she likely hoped. Regina didn't care as she pulled Emma down to her face and greedily licked along her wet pussy. "Fuck!"

Of all the things they'd done to and with one another, this was new and the sensation of licking Emma into oblivion while Emma did the very same to her was more than enough to push Regina over the edge very, very quickly.

And Emma wasn't far behind. She grasped at Emma's hips, moving her hands to her ass as Emma's body began to quake with her orgasm flooding through her suddenly. It happened so fast, too fast, but Regina was far from done with Emma. She gasped as Emma teased her tongue inside of her, drawing out her orgasm and she tried to focus solely on Emma in that moment.

She nipped at Emma's inner thigh and marked her, sucking hard at her skin and scraping her teeth over the purpled mark she left behind. Emma moaned loudly when she ran her tongue over the sensitive skin and moved back to licking languidly over Emma's throbbing clit. She grabbed at Emma's hips when she felt her trying to move away and with a shake of her head, she all but buried her face into Emma's cunt hungrily.

"Regina!" Emma cried out. "Jesus."

Hearing the desperation in Emma's voice made her back down. She licked along her slit once more, drinking her in before letting go to allow Emma to lay back at her side. Regina turned to Emma instantly with a wicked grin and she pulled Emma in for a deep kiss.

"Jesus," Emma gasped against her lips. "You're insatiable, aren't you, Regina?"

"No more than you are, dear," Regina chuckled. She wanted to tell Emma exactly how she felt, but she kept those three little words to herself, choosing instead to kiss the woman she'd fallen in love with.

Because a kiss said more than words ever could.


	8. Chapter 8

By the end of their week of vacation, Emma wasn't ready to return to Storybrooke and to the life she had waiting there for her. She knew Regina wasn't ready either, but still she packed up their things without a single word.

Henry had called early that morning, just before eight. Regina had spoken with him and assured him that they would be home by the time he returned from school. She said nothing else and she didn't mention anything about the changes between her and Emma's relationship.

They had spoken about it the night before and both had agreed to ease in their family, _all_ of them, when it came to their new relationship with one another. Emma was okay with that. She was more than okay with that, but something was nagging at her as she watched Regina fold some of the clothes they hadn't worn since they had spent the last three days doing nothing but making love.

"Regina?" Emma asked as she moved to get up from the couch and Regina didn't respond nor did she turn to look at her. "Regina?" She tried again and sighed as she walked up behind Regina and wrapped her arms around her. "Are you all right? You've barely said anything since you got off the phone with Henry earlier."

"I'm fine, Emma," Regina replied tightly. "We have to check out before eleven and so far I've been the only one packing. What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

Regina laughed and dropped the folded sweater to the bed and turned in Emma's arms. "And what are you thinking of?"

"You. Us."

"Good things, I hope?"

"Yeah, yeah," Emma stammered. "Good things, I promise. It's just—Regina, everything is going to be different now."

"Yes, they are," Regina nodded in agreement. "Are you worried about what everyone else is going to think?"

"A little bit. Aren't you?"

"No."

"You're not?"

"No," Regina repeated. "I'm not worried because I know what I feel for you is real, Emma. I don't care what anyone else will say, what they all will think about us and you know why? Because nobody can tell me how I feel or that it's wrong. It certainly doesn't feel wrong, does it?"

"Hell no," Emma chuckled as she felt her body relax in their embrace. "It feels good."

"Just good?"

"Amazing," Emma murmured as she dipped her head down and began to kiss along Regina's jaw. "You are amazing, Regina. Beyond amazing. And you are right too."

"I am? About what?"

"About how nobody else can tell us how we feel. They don't know what it is like for us to feel the way we do about each other."

"Well, I can assure you we're not the only ones who have—never mind."

"What? We're not the only ones who have what, Regina?" Emma asked and she leaned back to look into Regina's eyes. Again she felt that same feeling she'd been feeling since that first day they kissed, that first day they had spent hours upon hours making love. She knew what it was now and she wasn't afraid any longer to soak in that feeling, to embrace it as it was. "Regina?"

"We should keep packing," Regina said and Emma held on as she felt her try to move away. "Emma. We have to check out of here soon and get home. Henry is expecting us to be there when he comes home from school."

"I know, but I just—I need to say something, Regina, but I'm not sure how to say it without freaking you out."

"What would freak me out, dear?"

"Telling you that I love you."

"What?" Regina breathed out softly and she grasped onto the back of Emma's t-shirt. "What did you just say?"

"I'm in love with you, Regina," Emma said in a rush and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "I am in love with you," she repeated and she searched Regina's eyes in desperation, trying to garner her reaction as she wasn't saying a word nor was she barely breathing. "Regina?"

"You're in love with me?"

"Yes," Emma nodded. "I'm in love with you, Regina. I've been wanting to say it since I first kissed you, maybe even before that, but I—"

Regina was kissing her before she could say another word and Emma fell into the kiss with ease. She could feel Regina's heart beating as they held onto one another tightly and when Regina parted Emma immediately noticed her eyes were filled with tears.

"Regina—"

"You always have to do things first, don't you?" Regina laughed as a few tears fell from her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. "You kiss me first and then you tell me that you're in love with me before I can tell you that I am in love with you."

Emma laughed and a flood of relief filled her all at once. She knew things weren't one-sided between them, but seeing that look in Regina's eyes when she first let those words slip had been hard to read, almost impossible to see what her reaction was or what she was even thinking.

Emma pulled Regina down onto the bed and pushed aside some of the clothes Regina had meticulously been folding. She grinned down at Regina when she squirmed beneath her and she moved quickly to kiss her passionately. If there was one thing she couldn't get enough of for the last week it was kissing Regina Mills.

A knock on the door pulled them apart just a few minutes into their heavy make-out session. Emma reluctantly got up and pulled Regina to her feet before she walked over to answer the door.

"Hey," Emma smiled at Bart. "We were just getting our stuff packed up. Did we miss our check out time?" Emma asked and she glanced back at the clock on the wall above the fireplace. "We still have like ten minutes before we have to check out, don't we?"

"Ah," Bart chuckled and nodded. "Yes, yes you do, but I wanted to say goodbye as I'm not in the office this morning. I also wanted to give you two a voucher, in case you ever decide that you'd like to come back for another vacation."

Emma smiled at the older man and took the small envelope he held out towards her. "Thank you. We'll definitely be coming back next time we decide to take a little vacation."

"Wonderful," he smiled warmly at her. "I do hope you and your wife have enjoyed your stay here."

"We have, very much," Emma said and she glanced over at Regina, watching her as she quickly packed up the rest of their things into their bags. "Actually, Bart, there's something you need to know. We're not married."

"You're not?"

"No," Emma chuckled lowly. "We're not."

"Yet," he winked at her and patted her arm. "Until the next time, hmm? Perhaps then you two will return a married couple for your honeymoon, yes?"

"Maybe, we'll see," Emma replied and the old man just laughed as he walked away. "Ready to go, Gina?"

"Just about," Regina replied as she zipped up Emma's bag. "What was that all about?"

"Vouchers for the next time we decide to come back."

"Ah, I see," Regina smiled as she took the envelope from Emma and opened it. "Perhaps we can return in the summer when it's warmer, hmm?"

"Yeah, yeah that'd be great," Emma said distractedly. "I'm just going to put our stuff in the car. Can you—"

"I'll make sure we haven't left anything behind, dear."

Emma grabbed their bags and headed out to the car, shoving them into the backseat quickly before she headed back into the cabin. They had ten minutes, eight if she was counting to the minute now, but she was determined to make the most of it since they had a long drive ahead of them and there was no telling just when they'd have a moment to be alone once they were home.

"Come here," Regina moaned as she pulled Emma towards the bed as the door shut behind Emma slowly. "How much longer do we have until we have to leave?"

"Seven minutes. Not enough time to, you know, get naked and whatever, but we can—"

"Oh just shut up and kiss me, Emma."

"Yes, ma'am."

[X]

The long drive home was surprisingly relaxing and Regina spent most of it scrolling through the various texts and emails she'd neglected to read over the last week. Emma focused solely on the road ahead, singing along to the radio, and occasionally leaning over to steal a kiss or two when she ran into traffic that was at a dead stop.

Regina felt like she had walked into an entirely different version of her life while they'd been at the couple's resort. The first few days had been albeit awkward, but once Regina figured out _why_ , she looked back on some of the moments they'd had together when they'd first arrived and wondered how she had been so blind to the fact that Emma had been tripping over herself in trying to hide the fact that she wanted Regina just as bad as she wanted her.

"Do you want to stop for lunch or just wait until we get home?" Emma asked as she turned down the radio. "Regina?"

"Are you hungry already?"

"I'm always hungry, babe," Emma chuckled. "And not just for food either."

"Yes, I gathered, but no, let's not stop. I would very much like to get home before Henry is out of school."

"We'll still make it even if we stop."

"Hmm," Regina sighed and she turned to look out the window. "Perhaps, but we ate a rather big breakfast."

"Yeah, after we skipped dinner last night."

"Whose fault was that?" Regina chuckled as she turned to look back over at Emma. She grinned as Emma blushed profusely and gripped on to the steering wheel. "I thought we could head straight to your house. Henry will be going there anyway and I thought maybe the three of us can spend some time together this afternoon."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "I thought that we could tell Henry about us."

"Today?"

"Emma, how long would you prefer to wait?" Regina asked, frowning since she knew the signs of Emma right before she was about to panic and run all too well. "I thought we agreed we would tell him when we got home today."

"I know what we agreed, Regina, but what are we going to tell him?"

"The truth, at least a portion of it. We'll leave out the details that no child ever wants to hear about their parents."

Emma laughed. "Of course. So, we tell him he was right all along then?"

"In a sense, yes."

"Okay. Okay, we'll tell him, but can we hold off on telling anyone else at least until tomorrow, Regina?"

"Of course, dear."

It went without saying that Emma was nervous about anyone else knowing about their new relationship. Regina was as well and only because of past experiences with those who had become friends, even family over the years. While she was accepted now as one of them, there was no telling how anyone would react, especially Emma's mother, when they found out that they were more than just friends.

She wasn't scared of their reactions or opinions. She was scared that they would scare Emma away from her despite the fact that Emma had confessed that she was in love with her first. Emma had gone her whole life searching for a family that would love her unconditionally, and there would always be that fear that she would do something that would make them push her away as other had done throughout her life.

Regina was consumed with those very thoughts for the next two hours they were on the road and when Emma finally drove past the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign, she felt her magic return tenfold and on top of that, she could feel Emma so much more than she'd ever had before.

Unlike those moments when they'd been out of the state and stuck in traffic, Emma didn't lean over to steal a kiss or two whenever they stopped at a light or stop sign. When Regina tried just around the corner from Emma's house, Emma frowned and shook her head no with an embarrassed blush creeping over her cheeks as she did. Regina didn't try to push her or ask her why she'd been denied a kiss she'd been wanted and waiting for. She knew why. They were back home in Storybrooke and Emma Swan wasn't ready to be completely out with their relationship just yet.

"So, do you want to leave your bag in the car?" Emma asked as she pulled up in front of the house. "Or do you want to just hang out here tonight?"

"Are you asking me to stay over?"

"Maybe," Emma shrugged shyly. "Would you? I mean, if you wanted to, would you want to stay?"

"Yes," Regina said and she reached for the handle and pushed the door open. "I'll stay just as long as your parents aren't here later. There is only so much I can take."

"You love them, Regina."

"Don't remind me."

Emma laughed and pulled the bags out of the backseat before leading the way up to the front porch. "Well, at least they're not here right now," she said before she tried the door and found it locked. "Henry won't be home for another half an hour."

Regina just smiled and followed Emma inside the house a minute later after she struggled with the key in the lock and refused to use her magic to unlock the door the easy way. Emma headed straight up the stairs with both bags and Regina hesitated for a second before following her up the stairs and into Emma's bedroom.

"At least he remembered to change the sheets," Emma muttered under her breath as she placed their bags near the dresser and turned to face Regina. "So, we're really going to tell our son we're together and that we're in love, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are."

"What do you think he's going to say, Regina?"

"I have no idea, but I do know that he will be happy to hear the news, and I have a feeling he'll want more details than we're willing to tell him as well. Don't forget, Emma, he was the one who coerced this trip to a couple's resort for us in hopes that we would end up getting together. It seems as if his plan played out exactly how he wanted it to, hmm?"

"That's so evil!" Emma laughed and she wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and pulled her in close. "I wonder where he gets that from, huh?"

"Definitely not me, dear, because I am not evil anymore."

"No, you're definitely not."

They laughed as Emma casually led the way to her bed with the fresh sheets and the quilt that was folded up neatly in the middle. Emma cast a glance at the quilt and reached out to swipe it onto the floor, but Regina had already gained enough experience with Emma to know what was coming next.

She was quick to spin Emma around, catching her off-guard, and she smirked, feeling victorious as she pushed Emma down onto the bed and moved to straddle her hips. Regina could feel that burning desire deep in her core the moment their lips met in an intoxicating kiss. She truly could not get enough of Emma Swan, and the thing that made her insatiable was the fact that Emma couldn't get enough of her.

It only took one look between them when they parted from their kiss before they were kissing again heavily, hungrily, desperately. Regina secured her position on top by pinning Emma's hands just above her head on the mattress and rolled her hips down, wishing that they had time to rid each other of their clothes and make love properly. But time was not on their side and Regina only smirked wickedly as she moved to suck along the column of Emma's neck, careful not to mark her as she had done many times earlier in the week.

She loved the way Emma moaned her name whenever she hit just the right spot that sent waves of pleasure through her body. She loved the breathy gasps that came with every teasing touch and the way that Emma's body would tremble in anticipation for more. She had spent hours upon hours worshipping nearly every inch of Emma's body, mapping every inch she could reach with her fingers, lips, and tongue.

But they didn't have time for those teasing touches and lingering kisses that drove them both wild, especially when it became a challenge to draw out one another's pleasure for as long as the other could stand before it bordered on pleasure and pure torture.

She released Emma's hands and she moaned as Emma wrapped her arms around her and held her close, their bodies easily melding together as if they were one. Regina could feel the heat of Emma's body even through their clothes and it was the longing feeling of wanting Emma's bare skin against her own that made her whine and moan all at once.

"Gods, I want you, Emma," Regina murmured before she moved to kiss Emma again, their bodies moving together, hips writhing as they tried to seek out more contact with one another. "I want you so badly right now, Emma."

"Fuck," Emma gasped and she gripped onto Regina's hips tightly, almost torn between pushing her away and pulling her impossibly closer. "We don't have time, Gina."

"I know."

"I want you too," Emma murmured into their kiss and she nipped and sucked at Regina's bottom lip. "I've wanted you since we left the cabin. So. Fucking. Badly."

Regina moaned and kissed her hard and deep. She trembled as Emma slipped a hand between them and deftly flipped open the button on her jeans before sliding her hand inside. Emma's gasp and moan of approval at finding that Regina wore nothing beneath her jeans only served as a reminder to Regina that in the cabin they'd just spent over a week in, her black lace panties were somewhere on the floor or even beneath the bed, panties that were long forgotten in their rush to be with one another once more before returning home and in making the most of the seven and a half minutes they'd had before they were due to check out of the resort.

Regina slipped a hand under Emma's shirt and she half laughed, half moaned into their kiss when she found that Emma was without the bra she'd been in earlier that day. Another article of clothing lost amongst the frenzy and in the heat of the moment. She kissed her thoroughly before slipping her hand beneath the tight waistband of the leggings she had on and it was her turn to be caught by surprise that Emma wasn't wearing anything underneath them either.

Emma was the first to sink two fingers inside of Regina, and after a moment of enjoying the feeling of Emma inside of her, Regina too sank two fingers inside of Emma with ease. They were quick to thrust and twist their fingers inside one another, knowing they were pressed for time despite the urgent need to just to have and take one another over and over again.

It felt like they'd been lovers for years and not just a week, not with the way they were just so automatically in tune with one another right from the very first touch.

Yet, being back home in Storybrooke where their magic was at its strongest, their connection was more intense than ever before. It was almost overwhelming and Regina was quickly finding her orgasm building, her whole body on edge and ready to come crashing down within seconds. She didn't hold back and she continued to thrust her fingers inside of Emma, curling them to hit that spot inside of her that had Emma tumbling over the edge with her just seconds later.

Regina slicked her fingers through Emma's folds once more before pulling her hand out from inside her pants and parted from their kiss to slip her fingers between her lips and taste the sticky wetness that coated her fingers.

They both moaned, submerging themselves in each other as they kissed deeply and thoroughly, melting into one another as they rode out their quick orgasms they'd experienced together. Regina moved to lay at Emma's side, gasping when Emma only moved her hand from between her thighs up around her hips and over the curve of her ass, grasping hard as she pulled Regina hard against the thigh she slipped between her legs.

It felt so back and forth as they kissed and grasped at one another, the fight for dominance there but not prominent as it usually was between them. Regina pulled at Emma's gray leather jacket, rolling onto her back and pulling Emma on top of her just to rid of her of the leather that confined her upper half and once she had tossed it aside, she smoothed her hands under Emma's shirt and along her toned abdomen.

Emma moaned as she scratched her short nails over her smooth skin just below her breasts, their lips firmly attached and their tongues dancing and fighting all at once.

Emma gripped her hips, pulling her flush against her before flipping them over to rid Regina of her own leather jacket. Emma gripped at the hem of her shirt and Regina knew she was torn between just making do with it on and tearing it off of her completely.

"We don't have much time," Regina murmured the reminder she didn't want to hear herself. "Gods, just kiss me, my love. Just kiss me."

"Always."

She was hung up on the moment, addicted to that feeling that came in those moments after she reached a quick climax. She was hung up and drowning in Emma Swan, so much that the rest of the world just faded away and the only thing that existed for her right then and there was Emma Swan.

Regina broke away from the kiss to catch her breath and she took a moment just to stare into Emma's eyes. Emma just smiled and reached up to stroke a single fingertip along her cheek and then over her jaw before pulling her back in for another kiss.

She moaned as Emma pushed her onto her back and moved to lay on top of her while thrusting a strong thigh between her legs. They both cried out into the quiet of the room, and it became very quickly an inevitable struggle of hands grasping and touching, of teeth, tongue, and lips claiming each bit of skin that was touched.

"Do you really love me?" Regina asked, stopping Emma when she tried to kiss her again. "Emma. Do you really love me? Are you really in love with me?"

"I am," Emma said slowly. Sincerely even. "More than I can ever prove to you, Regina. I love you too. I love you."

Regina lost herself in the kiss, lost herself completely within Emma Swan, and when Emma pulled back, she couldn't help but pout.

"I love you," Emma said before she leaned in to nip and kiss away the pout on Regina's lips. "I'm in love with you, Regina. I mean it as much as I said it the first time," Emma said and she paused to deliver a soft and sweet kiss to Regina's lips. "I mean it more every time that I say it too."

"I love you," Regina whispered. "More than I've ever loved anyone before." She pressed her forehead to Emma's and exhaled deeply. "I never thought I could love anyone this way ever again. I tried with _him_ , but he was never _you_. It was always you, Emma. It's always been you."

Regina was sure she'd said too much, but the moment Emma kissed her, those thoughts fade away into nothing. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, she lose herself within Emma complexly, so much that she didn't hear the footsteps downstairs until Emma was suddenly pushing her away in a panic.

She soothed her hands over Emma's arms and shoulders and then around to the back of her neck. She guided her back in for another kiss, trying to drown out the rest of the world because all she could see, all she could feel was Emma in that very moment.

She was struggling to hold on to their moment, but it was the loud, obnoxious gasp of surprise coming from Snow White that completely broke their moment.

"David!" Snow exclaimed as she hit him on the shoulder where they stood just inside the open doorway. "David! _Charming_! Did you just see that?"

"See what?"

"True Loves Kiss!" Snow exclaimed as Regina and Emma suddenly scrambled out of the bed. "They had it, Charming! They had—"

"I heard you the first time," David replied with a subtle roll of his eyes. "Are you sure, Snow?"

"You didn't feel it too?"

"Feel what?"

Emma turned to Regina as they stood by the edge of the bed. She smiled shyly at her before giving her a shrug. "You felt it too, didn't you, Regina?"'

"What, exactly?" Regina asked easily.

"Are you serious?" Emma asked incredulously and Regina had to fight to keep her laughter at bay. "You didn't feel it?"

Regina looked over at Snow as she repeatedly slugged Charming in the shoulder until he finally looked at her. "They just had—"

"Ow! I know, Snow, I know. I felt it too."

Regina turned her attention back to Emma and all she could see and all she could feel was the loved pulsating between them and nothing else. She had felt something in the moments before their alone time had been shattered by the annoying Charming's dashing into the room. It had come after she'd told Emma that it had always been her.

Snow was grabbing at David's arm, her mouth gaping open like a fish as she just stared at Emma and then at Regina. She laughed when Snow punched David's arm yet again, pulling his attention right back to her.

"Did you know?" Snow asked him. "Did you know there was something going on between them?"

"No, honey, I didn't know. Suspected maybe, but—"

"And you didn't tell me!"

"Mom—" Emma tried and she stopped when Snow just walked up to her and hugged her tight. "Mom, come on. It's not a big deal."

"Not a— _not a big deal_?!" Snow asked, her voice pitching highly as she spoke and it made Regina and David wince. "You just had True Loves Kiss with Regina and it's not a big deal? Did you hit your head, Emma? Are you coming down with the flu, sweetie?"

"Mom, I'm fine, I just—"

"Are you two together?" Snow asked but the question was directed at Regina. "Are you?"

"Yes," Regina said softly. "We are, Snow. If you have a problem with that—"

"How did this happen?" Snow squealed and she spun Emma around before letting her go. "When did this happen? Did it happen when you two were away on your vacation or did it happen before and that is why you two wanted to take a vacation because you didn't want us around to—"

"Honey," David said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from Emma. "Why don't we let them tell us whatever they want to tell us _when_ they are ready to tell us, okay?"

Emma turned to look at Regina and the moment their eyes met, they just smiled. Regina's heart was racing a mile a minute and her thoughts were thundering through her mind, yet all she could see and all she could think about was Emma and how much she just wanted to kiss her again. She glanced down at Emma's hand before reaching for it and she smiled again as Emma intertwined their fingers and took a step closer to her.

"It happened when we were away," Emma said as she turned to look at her parents. "But we didn't fall in love with each other there, that had happened long ago."

"Yes," Regina agreed. She was unable to stop smiling nor could she quite look away from Emma. "It's difficult to pinpoint _when_ , but sometimes when you know, it doesn't matter when it happened, it just matters that you feel the way you do and acting upon it feels a thousand times better than keeping it inside."

"How long have you known?"

"A while, dear."

"How long is a while? Weeks? Months?"

"Years," Regina said quietly. "Many years. If you ask me to be more specific, I'm afraid I cannot be."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Emma," Regina said with a roll of her eyes and she chuckled softly when Emma squeezed her hand. "I'm not sure when I was going to because I was so convinced you never felt the same. You'd been with that filthy pirate for so long and I thought you had merely convinced yourself that he was it for you."

"God no," Emma laughed. "Far from it, Gina."

"Well? What else would explain why you willingly chose to be with someone like him for so long, hmm?"

"Guys," David said lightly as he stepped forward. "Maybe it'd be better if you didn't talk about that right now. Look, why don't we head downstairs and Snow can make us some tea and, if you're ready, you can tell us a little more of how this happened between you two."

"We've told you as much as we're willing to tell you two idiots," Regina muttered and Emma gave her hand a squeeze and shook her head. "What?"

"Be nice, Regina."

"I am being nice!"

"Nicer, then."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine. Fine, then it is perfectly okay that I tell them that you were the one who made the first move? That you were having some kind of a breakdown in the car and that you pulled over twice, chickened out the first time, and then finally kissed me?"

"Finally?" Emma asked with wide eyes. "I _was_ freaking out, Regina! I was freaking out from the moment we realized it was a couple's resort we were staying at and that we'd have to share the same bed!"

"You took the couch willingly, dear."

"Yes because I was freaking out!"

"I don't bite."

"Oh you do," Emma said under her breath and she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively before she shook her head and her expression went neutral. "The point is, I was tired of dancing around everything with you. I was tired of holding back what I felt whenever I am around you. That's why I kissed you, Regina. You have no idea how scary that moment was just before I did too, I swear I thought I was going to have a heart attack or—"

"You ramble just as bad as your mother," Regina chuckled and she saw David out of the corner of her eye nodding in agreement as Snow scowled. "David is right, maybe it is better if we don't talk about this right now, hmm?"

"Fine."

"Don't pout," Regina said lowly. "You know what I want to do when you pout."

"What is stopping you?" Emma murmured and Regina just shook her head no before casting a glance over at the Charming's. "Right. That's not awkward at all."

"Tea?" Snow asked as she pulled at David's arm. "We'll just head downstairs and put the kettle on, okay? Give you two a few minutes of privacy."

They were barely out of the room before Emma was pulling Regina in for a kiss. She sank into Emma with ease, smiling in the seconds before she slipped her hands into Emma's hair and around to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deeper, passionate kiss. She ignored the sounds coming from the hall and continued to kiss Emma thoroughly until she felt as if the rest of the world just fell away.

Emma laughed into the kiss, but Regina wouldn't let her pull back. They swayed in one another's arms, kissing lightly as they both tried to fight the smiles that danced over their lips. Emma nuzzled her nose against Regina's and leaned back just enough to stare deeply into her eyes.

Regina's heart was still racing, but for a multitude of other reasons and she stroked her fingers along the nape of Emma's neck for a moment before leaning back in to steal another kiss. Emma's hands were on her hips, grasping her tightly, fighting the urge to pull her impossibly close while holding her steady. Neither paid any attention to the creak at the top of the stairs, falling endlessly into one another over and over again.

"Mom?" Henry called out and they both parted quickly, but they weren't quick enough. "Moms?"

"Henry—"

"Kid—"

"Are you serious?" Henry asked with a laugh and he rushed towards them, throwing his arms around them and hugged them tight. "Are you together? Mom?" He asked Regina and she nodded. "Did you tell her?"

"I did, but she told me first, actually."

"She did?" Henry laughed and he hugged them again before stepping back. "So you're really together?"

"We are," Emma and Regina said.

"Well it's about time!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: That's all for this one, folks! Thanks so much for your continued support! I appreciate it more than I can ever say! Hope you enjoyed it :)**_


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